J 


TRTGIMiL.£liGEl/K£D.Fi7R .THE 'MEW '  YflffK ' 


THE 


LIFE 


OF 


DB.  ELISHA  KENT  KANE, 


AND   OF   OTHKB 


CONTAININ0 


NARRATIVES  OF  THEIR  RESEARCHES  AND  ADVENTURES  IX 

REMOTE  AND  INTERESTING  PORTIONS 

OF  THE   GLOBE. 


SAMUEL  M.  SMUCKEH,  A.M., 

AUTHOR  OF  "COURT  AND  REIGN  OP  CATHARINE  n.,"  "EMPEROR  NICHOLAS  i., 

ALEXANDER   HAMILTON,"   "ARCTIC  EXPLORATIONS  AND  DISCOVERIES, 

"MBMOIB  0»  THOMAS  JEFFERSON,"   "MEMORABLE  SCENES 

IN  TRENCH  HISTOBY."  BTC. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

J.  W.  BRADLEY,  48  N.  FOURTH  STREET, 
1859. 


-3,5  r 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1858,  by 
SAMUEL  M.  SMUCKER, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Eastern 
District  of  Pennsylvania. 


PBINTED   BY   KINO  &   BAIBD, 
PHILADELPHIA. 


>  ^  e    I 

Bancroft  Library 


PREFACE. 


GEOGRAPHICAL  explorers  and  discoverers  constitute  a 
peculiar  and  distinct  class  of  men;  and  in  many  respects 
their  qualities  and  achievements  are  homogeneous.  Yet, 
rich  as  is  our  literature  in  historical  and  biographical 
works,  there  is  no  single  volume  extant  which  contains 
a  collection  of  the  lives  of  the  most  distinguished  Ame 
ricans  of  this  description.  The  present  writer  has  en 
deavored  to  supply  this  deficiency,  to  some  extent,  in 
the  following  pages ;  and  he  has  selected,  as  the  subjects 
of  his  narrative,  those  individuals  who  seemed  to  him  to 
be  most  remarkable  in  themselves  and  to  possess  the 
strongest  hold  on  public  interest  and  attention.  In 
preparing  this  work,  the  author  has  appropriated  to  his 
use  the  most  reliable  sources  of  information  which  were 
accessible,  without  encroaching  upon  the  rights  of  others; 
and  an  effort  has  been  made  to  render  the  biographies  as 
complete  as  the  limits  of  a  single  volume  would  permit. 
These  limits  must  be  regarded  as  very  circumscribed, 
when  the  amplitude  and  variety  of  the  subject  are  taken 
into  consideration;  and  hence  the  reader  will  observe 
that,  in  several  of  the  concluding  sections  of  the  volume, 

3 


4  PREFACE. 

the  strictly  biographical  form  has  been  dropped;  the 
more  immaterial  and  obscure  portions  of  the  lives  of 
the  subjects  of  them  are  overlooked;  and  the  narrative 
is  confined  to  those  events  which  are  most  important 
and  historical.  As  the  adventures  of  Dr.  Kane  were  in 
many  respects  more  remarkable  than  those  of  his  rivals, 
a  corresponding  prominence  has  been  given  to  his  me 
moirs,  both  in  the  work  itself  and  in  its  title.  Some  of 
the  heroes  of  the  following  pages  are  living,  and  some 
are  dead.  In  regard  to  all  of  them  the  writer  has  spoken 
with  impartial  freedom  and  candor,  without  any  refer 
ence  to  the  approbation  or  the  censure  of  those  who 
might  be  interested  in  the  subject. 

The  likeness  of  Dr.  Kane  contained  in  this  volume, 
is  taken  from  a  full-length  portrait  published  at  great 
expense  by  the  proprietors  of  the  New  York  Albion,  as 
a  premium  to  their  subscribers.  It  is  regarded  by  com 
petent  judges  as  the  best  portrait  of  its  distinguished 
subject  now  extant,  and  as  preserving  the  most  accurate 
resemblance  to  his  features  and  expression.  The  pub 
lisher  of  this  volume  has  been  permitted,  by  the  liberality 
and  courtesy  of  the  proprietors  of  that  valuable  journal, 
to  use  this  plate  as  far  as  was  necessary  for  the  pr 
purpose. 

S.  M 

PHILADELPHIA,  November,  1857. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGl 

INTRODUCTION M 9 


PART  I. 

ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

CHAP.  I. — Youth  and  Early  Training  of  Dr.  Kane 15 

•II. — Oriental  Wanderings,  Discoveries,  and  Perils 23 

III. — Dr.  Kane's  Adventures  in  Mexico — Sketch  of  Arctic 

Exploration 29 

IV. — Dr.  Kane's  First  Arctic  Expedition — Scenes  in  Baffin's 

Bay 89 

V. — Adventures  and  Discoveries  at  Beechey  Island 47 

VI. — Winter  Life  in  the  Arctic  Regions 55 

VII. — Dr.  Kane's    Matrimonial  Views — His   Congressional 

Patronage — His  Unconquerable  Enthusiasm 73 

VIII. —Dr.  Kane's  Second  Arctic  Expedition 80 

IX. — Researches  and  Adventures  near  the  Pole 88 

X. — Concluding  Labors  and  Return  of  the  Expedition 100 

XI. — Dr.  Kane's   Official   Report  of  the   Second   Grinnell 

Expedition Ill 

XII.— Dr.  Kane's  Last  Labors,  Illness,  and  Death 127 

XIII. — Obsequies  of  Dr.  Kane — Estimate  of  his  Character....  134 
1*  5 


6  CONTENTS. 

PAET  II. 

JOHN  CHARLES  FREMQNT. 

MM 

CHAP.  I. — Fremont's  Youth  and  First  Expedition 151 

II. — Incidents  of  Fremont's  Second  Expedition 174 

III. — Col.  Fremont's  Third  Expedition,  and  its  Results 186 

IV. — Col.  Fremont's  Fourth  Exploring  Expedition 203 

V. — Col.  Fremont's  Fifth  Expedition  and  Political  Honors  229 

PART  m. 

JOHN  LEDYARD. 

CHAP.  I.— Youth  and  Early  Education  of  Ledyard 261 

II. — Ledyard' s  Voyage  with  Capt.  Cook  around  the  World  269 
III. — Adventures  of  Ledyard  in  France,  Russia,  and  Siberia.  302 

IV. — Further  Adventures  of  Ledyard  in  Siberia 315 

V.— Ledyard' s  Expedition  to  Central  Africa 321 

PAET  IV. 

CHARLES  WILKES. 
CHAP.  I.— Purposes  of  the  United  States  Exploring  Expedition  330 

II. — Explorations  in  the  Southern  Ocean  and  Chili 335 

III. — Explorations  in  Peru  and  the  Paumoto  Group 341 

IV. — Researches  at  Tahiti,  and  Discovery  of  the  Antarctic 

Continent 362 

V. — Termination  of  the  Expedition — Controversy  with  Col. 

Fremont...  ..  3GO 


CONTENTS.  7 

PART  Y. 

MATTHEW  C.  PERRY. 

PAGB 

CHAP.  L— Origin  and  Aims  of  the  Expedition  to  Japan 365 

II. — Public  Interview  between  Com.  Perry  and  the  Imperial 

Commissioners 877 

III. — Establishment  of  a  Commercial  Treaty  with  the  Ja 
panese  Empire ,.  385 

IV. — Concluding  Labors  of  Com.  Perry  in  Japan  and  Lew 

• 

Chew « 400 


INTRODUCTION. 


IT  is  the  singular  merit  of  this  Eepuhlic  that, 
during  a  brief  national  existence  which  has  not  yet 
attained  the  limits  of  a  century,  she  has  produced 
men  in  each  department  of  intellectual  excellence, 
who  are  celebrated  in  every  portion  of  the  civilized 
world.  It  is  also  a  remarkable  circumstance  con 
nected  with  the  progressive  and  rapid  development 
of  the  national  greatness,  that  its  master-spirits  in 
every  sphere  have  been  evoked  into  a  splendid  and 
efficient  existence,  precisely  in  proportion  as  the 
developing  wants  of  the  country  demanded  their 
presence  and  their  activity. 

The  first  necessity  of  the  young  Republic  was  the 
possession  of  soldiers  and  generals  whose  skill  and 
prowess  should  overturn  the  unjust  supremacy  of 
Britain,  by  their  achievements  on  the  battle-field, 
and  thus  repel  the  aggressions  of  the  most  powerful 
nation  on  the  globe.  That  necessity  was  satisfied 
as  soon  as  felt,  from  the  rich  resources  of  the  nation ; 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

'  for  the  deeds  of  Washington  and  his  associates  in 
the  camp  will  forever  remain,  a  brilliant  and  honor 
able  record  on  the  historic  page.  The  next  want  of 
the  Confederacy  was  that  of  statesmen,  whose  pro 
found  and  sagacious  minds  could  comprehend  the 
peculiar  form  of  government  best  adapted  to  pro 
mote  the  welfare  of  the  people  ;  who  possessed  the 
requisite  ability  to  construct  such  a  government ;  and 
who  were  gifted  with  the  practical  talent  afterward 
to  administer  its  laws  with  energy,  fidelity,  and 
success.  And  then  also,  in  that  great  crisis  of  the 
nation's  destiny,  there  arose  men  whose  superiors 
as  statesmen  the  world  has  never  seen ;  for  all  men 
concede  the  matchless  ability  of  Alexander  Hamil 
ton,  Jefferson,  Madison,  and  their  chief  associates. 

Under  their  guidance  and  under  that  of  their 
worthy  successors,  among  whom  Quincy  Adams, 
Clay,  Calhoun,  and  "Webster  rank  as  noblest  and 
greatest,  the  territories  of  the  republic  have  gra 
dually  extended,  until  they  now  comprise  an  entire 
continent  filled  with  a  numerous  brotherhood  of 
nations,  each  one  of  which  is  equal  in  wealth,  intel 
ligence,  and  power  to  many  of  the  renowned  king 
doms  of  the  Old  World.  Everywhere  we  now  behold 
the  prevalence  and  supremacy  of  equal  laws,  of 
skilful  legislation,  of  judicious  education,  of  indus 
try,  security,  and  prosperity,  as  the  result  of  the 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

masterly  ability  with  which,  the  leading  minds  of  the 
nation,  during  the  last  half-century,  have  moulded 
and  developed  the  prodigious  resources  of  the  people 
for  whom  they  were  called  to  legislate. 

But  physical  interests  and  wants  are  not  the  only 
ones  which  have  stirred  within  the  breasts  of  the 
twenty  millions  of  freemen  who  inhabit  the  land. 
There  is  a  better  department  of  man's  nature  than 
that  appropriated  to  the  mere  acquisition  of  wealth, 
or  the  development  of  material  resources.  The 
whole  history  of  civilization  during  past  ages  proves, 
that  its  progress  has  always  been  associated  first 
with  the  practical  and  necessary,  afterward  with  the 
ornate  and  the  superfluous,  wants  and  gratifications 
of  the  community.  Arts  and  sciences,  literature  and 
refinement,  inevitably  follow  in  the  train  of  wealth, 
liberty,  and  power;  and  to  gratify  these  more  ele 
vated  and  cultivated  impulses  of  humanity,  abilities 
are  necessary  which  are  different  in  character  from 
those  exhibited  by  the  chief  actors  in  the  practical 
and  necessary  departments  of  mental  labor. 

Here  again  the  Kepublic  displayed  the  creative 
richness  and  abundance  of  her  resources;  for  she 
now  boasts  many  immortal  names  in  the  various 
departments  of  science,  literature,  artistic  skill,  and 
mechanical  invention.  She  may  point  to  such  rare 
men  as  Benjamin  West,  "Washington  Irving,  Bry- 


12  INTRODUCTION. 

ant,  Noah  Webster,  Story,  Fulton,  and  Morse ;  the 
last  of  whom  seems  to  possess  the  power  of  dis 
tributing  and  circulating  the  lightning  over  the  face 
of  the  earth,  in  obedience  to  his  will,  with  almost 
the  same  facility  as  that  with  which  Omnipotence 
wields  and  manages  the  thunderbolts,  in  the  blue 
concave  of  heaven.  It  may  be  asserted,  without 
the  least  exaggeration,  that  few  nations  of  ancient 
or  modern  times  have  produced  so  many  gifted 
minds  in  every  department  of  intellectual  power, 
during  so  short  a  period  of  national  existence,  as 
the  United  States. 

But  there  is  still  another  high  and  noble  sphere 
of  endeavor,  which  the  best  impulses  of  a  great 
people  will  eventually  comprehend,  when  the  more 
immediate  and  pressing  necessities  of  their  existence 
have  been  satisfied.  This  sphere  requires  as  elevated 
a  range  of  mental  abilit}7  as  many  of  those  to  which 
we  have  just  referred ;  with  an  advantage  over  some 
of  them  in  the  sublimity  of  sentiment  and  the  dis 
interested  philanthropy  which  impel  men  to  becomo 
heroes  in  it.  This  is  the  department  in  which  the 
resources  of  science  are  appropriated  to  the  accom 
plishment  of  the  aims  of  benevolence  and  philan 
thropy.  Such  as  these  are  the  missionaries  of 
religion  and  knowledge,  who  explore  the  dark 
places  of  the  earth  carrying  in  their  hands  the 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

torches  both  of  divine  and  human  wisdom.  Such 
as  these  are  the  adventurers  who,  while  they  place 
their  own  existence  in  jeopardy,  visit  the  domains  of 
physical  suffering,  privation,  and  peril,  either  to  rescue 
others  whom  an  unpropitious  fate  has  there  detained 
in  continual  danger  of  destruction ;  or  who  endure 
the  utmost  extremes  of  all  that  men  can  undergo, 
in  order  to  extend  the  boundaries  of  knowledge,  to 
investigate  the  hidden  mysteries  of  the  globe,  and 
ascertain  what  portion  of  its  treasures  may  yet  re 
main  unknown,  which,  if  appropriated  to  the  service 
of  man,  might  elevate  his  nature,  might  ameliorate 
his  condition,  and  might  increase  his  happiness. 

"We  have  selected  the  most  distinguished  persons 
of  this  class  of  whom  the  nation  can  boast,  as  tli~ 
subjects  of  the  following  pages ;  although  there  aro 
several  others  whose  biographies  might  not  unfitly 
have  been  added  to  the  list,  had  the  limits  of  the 
volume  permitted.  Such  men  are  indispensably 
necessary  to  the  completion  and  fulness  of  a  na 
tion's  glory.  They  are  just  as  requisite  for  that 
purpose  as  profound  statesmen,  as  able  writers,  as 
sublime  poets,  as  learned  divines,  as  ingenious  in 
ventors.*  Till  such  men  arose  to  toil  for  the  enlarge 
ment  of  human  knowledge  and  the  promotion  of 
human  felicity,  a  lofty  niche  in  the  great  Pantheon 
of  the  national  glory  remained  unfilled.  Those  who 

2 


14  INTRODUCTION. 

are  entitled  to  an  enduring  position  there  are  being 
gradually  elevated,  by  the  suffrages  of  an  impartial 
and  enlightened  community,  to  their  appropriate  emi 
nences  :  and  while  Britannia,  the  boasted  mistress  of 
the  seas,  heralds  with  vaunting  pride  the  names 
and  the  achievements  of  her  Ross,  Parry,  Franklin, 
Beech ey,  and  Cook,  Columbia  may  justly  demand 
an  equal  meed  of  fame  for  her  Kane,  Fremont, 
Ledyard,  "Wilkes,  and  Perry ;  and  she  is  recreant  to 
her  own  honor  if  she  do  not  proclaim  their  merits 
more  widely  to  the  world, 


PAET  I. 

ELISHA  KENT  KANE, 


CHAPTER  L 

YOUTH   AND   EARLY  TRAINING   OF   DR.  KANE. 

ELISHA  KENT  KANE  was  born  in  the  city  of  Phi 
ladelphia,  on  the  third  day  of  February,  1820.  He 
was  the  eldest  son  of  the  Hon.  John  K.  Kane,  who, 
since  1845,  has  presided  in  the  United  States  District 
Court  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 
Several  of  the  ancestors  of  the  subject  of  this  me 
moir  were  distinguished  by  their  deeds  of  patriotism 
and  philanthropy  during  the  memorable  era  of  the 
Revolution.  It  is  narrated  in  the  annals  of  that 
eventful  time  that  one  of  these,  Mrs.  Martha  Gray, 
won  the  gratitude  of  the  American  army  and  people 
by  her  assiduity  in  rendering  assistance  to  nine 
hundred  sick  and  wounded  prisoners,  who  had  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  the  British  when  they  held  pos 
session  of  Philadelphia.  These  unfortunate  men 

were  Destitute  of  necessary  food,  clothing,  and  me- 

15 


16  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

dical  treatment.  They  were  made  the  victims  of 
every  imaginable  outrage  which  the  cruelty  and 
malignity  of  their  captors  could  inflict.  In  spite  of 
very  considerable  obstacles,  Mrs.  Gray  visited  them 
repeatedly  in  their  prison ;  nursed,  fed,  and  clothed 
them  to  the  extent  of  her  ability:  and  was  even 
arrested  as  a  spy  by  the  British  officers,  who  were 
incensed  at  her  kindly  and  charitable  interference. 
She  nevertheless  persisted  in  her  good  offices  until 
the  discharge  of  the  prisoners ;  when  her  services 
were  properly  acknowledged  by  a  unanimous  vote 
of  thanks  passed  by  the  American  officers  imme 
diately  after  their  release. 

Of  Thomas  Leiper,  another  ancestor  of  Dr.  Kane, 
it  is  recorded  that  he  was  a  special  favorite  of  Gene 
ral  Washington,  and  that  he  was  present  and  fought 
in  many  of  the  most  important  battles  of  the  Eevo- 
lution.  It  was  he  whom  the  Continental  Congress 
selected  to  perform  the  difficult  and  responsible 
duty  of  conveying  to  the  commander- in-chief,  then 
engaged  in  the  siege  of  Boston,  the  first  money 
which  was  sent  by  them  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
the  war.  This  commission  Colonel  Leiper  executed 
with  great  prudence  and  success.  It  was  he  who, 
at  a  much  later  period,  in  conjunction  with  his 
friend  Robert  Morris,  the  leading  financier  of  the 
Revolution,  loaned  one-third  of  his  personal  estate 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  17 

to  the  Bank  of  North  America,  to  enable  it  to 
furnish  "Washington  with  the  means  necessary  to 
accomplish  his  masterly  march  to  Yorktown;  which 
resulted  in  the  fall  of  that  fortress,  in  the  capture 
of  the  whole  army  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  in  the  honor 
able  and  triumphant  termination  of  the  war,  and 
in  the  establishment  of  the  liberty,  the  unity,  and 
the  prosperity  of  this  Confederacy.  After  peace 
was  proclaimed,  Colonel  Leiper  refused  to  accept 
any  remuneration  for  his  services  except  the  thanks 
of  General  Washington.  He  afterward  became  one 
of  the  most  prominent  Jeffersonian  or  Democratic 
politicians  of  his  native  State,  though  he  constantly 
refused  to  accept  any  office  of  emolument  or  profit. 
The  peculiar  disposition  of  Elisha  Kane,  as  dis 
played  in  his  early  youth,  furnished  infallible  prog 
nostications  of  the  future  man.  He  was  remarkable 
for  his  activity,  his  vivacity,  his  restless  energy  both 
of  mind  and  body.  Although  his  physical  frame 
exhibited  but  an  ordinary  degree  of  strength,  it 
possessed  an  unusual  proportion  of  hidden  power 
and  vitality.  His  mental  qualities  corresponded  with 
the  peculiarities  of  his  bodily  structure.  He  was 
bold,  daring,  reckless,  and  resistive  to  a  wonderful 
extent.  Any  cautious  and  reflective  individual  of 
the  wiser  sort,  calmly  observing  for  a  moment  the 

restless  activity  which  he  displayed  in  all  his  move- 
B  2* 


18  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

merits,  would  have  unhesitatingly  predicted  a  broken 
head  or  a  dislocated  neck  as  the  speedy  and  inevi 
table  termination  of  his  career.  Of  temper,  too,  he 
was  not  by  any  means  deficient,  but  he  possessed 
even  more  than  an  ordinary  share  of  it ;  although  his 
pugnacity  was  generally  controlled  by  the  superior 
direction  of  his  reason.  "When  he  did  indulge  his 
combative  propensities,  it  was  usually  in  defence  of 
juvenile  rights,  in  punishment  of  infantile  wrongs, 
and  in  vindication  of  injured  and  helpless  innocence. 
His  daring  and  venturesome  disposition  often  placed 
him  in  positions  of  great  peril ;  and  the  future  and 
more  historical  dangers  of  the  Arctic  zone  were  not 
unfrequently  anticipated  on  the  tops  of  lofty  houses, 
among  the  limbs  of  towering  trees,  in  escaping 
through  trap-doors  upon  the  roofs,  and  in  climbing 
to  the  summit  of  tall,  smoking  chimneys.  "What 
ever  was  most  desperate  and  perilous  within  the 
accomplishment  of  the  most  resolute  of  boys,  that 
possessed  a  peculiar  and  irresistible  attraction  for 
the  youthful  adventurer.  Yet  even  at  an  early  age, 
though  rebellious  against  restraint  both  at  home  and 
at  school,  he  gave  striking  proofs  of  a  penetrating 
and  vigorous  intellect.  His  faculty  of  observation 
was  acute,  sagacious,  and  comprehensive.  There 
was  much  intellectual  substance  closely  packed  in 
his  somewhat  diminutive  frame,  like  a  mental  coil 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  19 

or  web,  ready  to  be  afterward  unfolded  and  de 
veloped  by  the  exigencies  of  great  occasions  and 
the  perils  of  critical  positions.  The  language  of  an 
eminent  writer  may  be  applied  to  him  with  peculiar 
propriety :  "  That  inconsiderable  figure  of  his  con 
tained  a  whole  spirit-kingdom  and  Eeflex  of  the 
All ;  and,  though  to  the  eye  but  some  Jive  standard 
feet  in  size,  reaches  downwards  and  upwards,  un- 
surveyable,  fading  into  the  regions  of  Immensity 
and  Eternity.  Life  everywhere,  as  woven  on  that 
stupendous  ever-marvellous  Loom  of  Time,  may  be 
said  to  fashion  itself  of  a  woof  of  light,  yet  on  a 
warp  of  mystic  darkness :  only  He  that  created  it 
can  understand  it."* 

The  first  place  of  instruction  which  Elisha  Kane 
attended  was  that  conducted  by  Mr.  Waldron,  in 
Eighth  street  near  Walnut,  in  his  native  city.  This 
gentleman,  who  has  since  become  a  priest  of  the 
Koman  Catholic  Church,  was  a  man  of  superior 
education,  and  fully  competent  to  perfect  his  pupils 
in  all  the  elementary  branches  of  learning.  After 
spending  some  time  under  his  tuition  to  little  pur 
pose,  Elisha  was  sent  to  the  University  of  Virginia, 
where  he  entered  one  of  the  subordinate  classes. 

*  Vide  Miscellanies  of  Thomas  Carlyle :  Essay  on  Diderot,  Boston 
ed.,  Phillips,  Sampson  &  Co.,  1855. 


20  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

"While  connected  with  this  institution,  his  habits  of 
Btudy  were  desultory  but  energetic.  Even  then  he 
displayed  a  singular  fondness  for  geographical  ad 
venture  and  discovery,  which  never  afterward  abated. 
The  University  of  Virginia  was  selected  as  a  suit 
able  institution  for  the  completion  of  the  collegiate 
studies  of  Elisha  Kane,  because  the  course  of  in 
struction  there  used  was  better  adapted  to  improve 
him  in  his  favorite  branches.  These  were  the  natural 
sciences  and  mathematics.  In  other  departments 
of  study  his  inattention  or  his  indifference  had 
rendered  him  deficient;  but  in  the  former  he  ex 
celled.  During  the  year  and  a  half  which  he  spent 
at  the  Virginia  University  he  became  a  favorite 
pupil  of  Professor  Rodgers,  who  was  at  that  time 
employed  in  effecting  a  geological  survey  of  the 
Blue  Mountains.  Young  Kane  accompanied  him 
in  his  labors,  and  displayed  the  utmost  zeal  iu 
making  geological,  mineralogical,  and  botanical  re 
searches.  At  this  period  he  seems  to  have  selected 
civil  engineering  as  his  future  profession  in  life; 
and  he  shaped  his  studies  with  reference  to  that 
ultimate  purpose.  Already  he  had  acquired  an 
honorable  eminence  among  his  fellow-students  in 
the  department  to  which  his  attention  was  chiefly 
directed,  and  it  is  probable  that  he  would  ha,ve  com 
pleted  his  mathematical  and  scientific  studies  with 


ELISHA   KENT  KANE.  21 

distinction ;  but  in  his  eighteenth  year  he  was  com 
pelled  to  relinquish  them,  in  consequence  of  a  violent 
attack  of  rheumatism,  and  the  unexpected  appearance 
of  the  first  symptoms  of  that  dangerous  and  insidious 
affection  of  the  heart  with  which  he  was  afflicted, 
to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  He  was  brought  home  dangerously  sick, 
without  having  taken  a  degree.  During  several 
months  his  life  was  in  imminent  danger.  The 
nature  of  his  disease  was  such  that  the  summons 
of  death  might  reach  him  at  any  instant,  and  ter 
minate  his  existence  suddenly  and  abruptly.  During 
some  weeks  he  may  be  said  to  have  been  hovering 
over  the  abyss  of  the  grave,  uncertain  as  to  the 
moment  in  which  he  might  be  compelled  to  descend 
beneath  its  gloomy  shadows. 

It  was  while  he  continued  in  this  critical  situation 
that  an  important  moral  change  was  effected  in  his 
mind.  He  became  devout  and  conscientious.  He 
adopted  certain  religious  opinions  and  ethical  rules, 
to  which  he  adhered,  with  the  pertinacious  constancy 
peculiar  to  his  character,  as  long  as  he  lived.  It 
will  not  be  pretended  that  all  the  acts  of  his  subse 
quent  career  were  blameless  or  sans  faute  ;  but  that 
he  always  believed  them  to  be  such  will  not  be  de 
nied  by  any  candid  and  intelligent  observer  of  his 
conduct. 


22  ELISHA    KENT   KANE. 

The  health  of  Elisha  Kane  gradually  improved. 
In  his  nineteenth  year  he  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine,  in  the  office  and  under  the  tuition  of  Dr. 
Harris,  of  Philadelphia.  He  engaged  in  this  pursuit 
with  great  ardor  and  success,  inasmuch  as  he  had  at 
that  time  determined  to  devote  his  life  to  the  prac 
tice  of  the  healing  art.  So  marked  was  his  progress 
that,  in  October,  1840,  he  was  elected  one  of  the 
resident  physicians  in  the  Block! ey  Hospital,  al 
though  he  had  not  yet  attained  his  majority,  had 
attended  but  one  course  of  medical  lectures,  and 
was  still,  therefore,  an  undergraduate.  In  the  suc 
ceeding  year,  a  vacancy  having  occurred  among 
the  Senior  Resident  Physicians  in  that  institution, 
Elisha  Kane  was  chosen  to  fill  it.  A  promotion  of 
this  important  description  clearly  evinces  superior 
ability,  industry,  prudence,  and  general  excellence 
of  character  on  the  part  of  its  youthful  recipient ; 
for,  although  some  of  this  success  may  be  ascribed 
to  the  patronage  of  friends,  much  more  should  be 
attributed  to  his  own  personal  merit. 


CHAPTER  H. 

ORIENTAL  WANDERINGS,   DISCOVERIES,   AND   PERILS. 

IN  March,  1842,  having  been  connected  during  the 
period  of  a  year  and  a  half  with  the  Blockley  Hos 
pital,  Elisha  Kane  completed  his  regular  course  of 
medical  studies  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
and  received  his  doctor's  degree.  On  this  occasion  he 
chose  for  the  subject  of  his  thesis  the  unfamiliar  and 
esoteric  theme  known  under  the  name  of  Kyestein. 
This  term  represents  a  new  substance  which  had 
but  shortly  before  that  period  been  discovered  by  a 
member  of  the  medical  profession  in  Paris ;  and  it 
was  then  supposed  to  possess  great  importance  in 
investigations  having  reference  to  utero-gestation. 
The  inquiry  was  new  and  important.  A  few  experi 
ments  had  already  been  made  in  reference  to  it  in 
the  hospital ;  but  Dr.  Kane,  having  selected  it  as  the 
topic  of  his  thesis,  entered  into  more  enlarged  and 
accurate  researches  on  the  subject.  The  result  of 
these  labors  was,  that  his  production  was  regarded 
by  those  best  qualified  to  judge,  as  possessing  un 
usual  interest  and  permanent  scientific  value;  and 

23 


24    t  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

as  such,  a  copy  was  requested  by  the  faculty  for 
publication.  An  incident  of  this  description  clearly 
indicated  the  superior  attainments  and  abilities  of 
the  newly-fledged  ^Esculapius. 

Having  thus  entered  the  medical  profession  with 
more  than  ordinary  promise  of  success,  Dr.  Kane 
obtained  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  permission 
to  undergo  an  examination  for  the  post  of  surgeon. 
The  result,  as  might  have  been  anticipated,  was 
favorable.  When  Caleb  Gushing  sailed  in  May,  1843, 
upon  his  diplomatic  mission  to  China,  Dr.  Kane  re 
ceived  an  appointment  as  one  of  the  physicians  to 
the  embassy.  He  was  attached  to  the  Brandywine, 
commanded  by  Commodore  Parker.  The  vessel 
touched  at  Bombay,  and  was  unexpectedly  detained 
there  during  some  months  in  consequence  of  the 
burning  of  the  steamer  Missouri.  During  this  in 
terval  the  young  traveller  embraced  the  opportunity 
to  visit  and  examine  the  celebrated  cavernous  temples 
of  Elephanta.  He  also  explored  a  portion  of  the 
tropical  island  of  Ceylon,  and  there  revelled  amid 
the  rarest  scenes  of  Oriental  adventure  and  travel. 

From  Ceylon  the  embassy  proceeded  to  Macao, 
its  ultimate  destination  in  the  Celestial  Empire. 
Half  a  year  was  employed  in  the  tedious  negotia 
tions  which  ensued  between  the  American  and  the 
Chinese  plenipotentiaries;  but  Dr.  Kane  was  in- 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  25 

capable  at  any  time  of  listless  idleness  and  in 
activity.  He  employed  this  interval  to  excellent 
purpose.  He  was  aware  that  the  Philippine  Islands, 
and  especially  Luzon,  the  largest  of  them,  contained 
many  peculiar  features  which  were  worthy  of  scien 
tific  scrutiny  and  observation.  He  eagerly  embraced 
the  opportunity  now  afforded  him  to  examine  them. 
Prominent  among  the  natural  phenomena  of  this 
quarter  of  the  globe  was  the  celebrated  volcano  of 
Tael,  in  the  island  of  Luzon.  Its  mysterious  and 
perilous  depths  had  never  yet  been  explored,  or  even, 
invaded,  by  the  adventurous  foot  of  man.  To  the 
native  Malays  it  was  shrouded  in  mysterious  awe 
and  terror,  as  the  supposed  abode  of  their  great 
god,  the  Deity  of  the  Tael ;  and  they  regarded  any 
attempt  to  penetrate  its  depths,  or  to  descend  into  its 
bosom,  as  fraught  with  sacrilegious  crime,  as  well  as 
attended  by  inevitable  death.  Dr.  Kane  was  totally 
uninfluenced  by  any  such  considerations;  nor  did 
he  heed  the  graver  objections  resulting  from  the  great 
personal  danger  which  attended  the  exploration 
which  he  proposed.  The  summit  of  the  crater  of 
Tael  is  two  miles  in  circumference.  Its  perpendicular 
height  is  four  hundred  yards  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  The  interior  of  the  crater  descends  seventy 
yards  in  a  perpendicular  direction,  after  which  the 
declension  becomes  less  abrupt.  At  the  bottom  of 


26  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

the  crater  there  are  many  active  peaks  or  cones, 
whence  constantly  issue  jets  of  sulphurous  flame; 
while  in  the  cavities  between  them  there  are  bodies 
of  boiling  green  water. 

Into  this  uninviting  pandemonium  Dr.  Kane  de 
termined  to  descend.  Attended  by  suitable  guides 
and  assistants,  he  reached  the  summit  of  the  crater. 
His  associates,  appalled  by  the  spectacle  below,  did 
their  utmost  to  persuade  him  not  to  venture  amid 
the  imminent  perils  which  overhung  the  attempt; 
but  they  reasoned  in  vain.  A  long  bamboo  rope 
was  accordingly  procured,  fastened  round  his  waist, 
and  the  adventurer  was  slowly  lowered  down  the  per 
pendicular  wall  which  surrounded  the  summit  of  the 
cone.  Having  descended  two  hundred  feet  by  this 
means,  Dr.  Kane  detached  himself  from  the  line,  and 
still  proceeded  down  toward  the  mouth  or  centre  of 
the  crater,  several  hundred  feet  below.  Here,  while 
hanging  over  the  central  vortex  of  the  volcano,  and 
while  compelled  to  inhale  the  deadly  sulphurous 
vapor  which  rolled  up  from^+ts  fiery  mouth,  he 
deliberately  filled  his  bottles  with  the  volcanic  acid, 
and  gathered  geological  specimens  and  sconce,  in 
possession  of  which  he  effected  his  return  to  the  in 
valuable  rope.  But  by  this  time  his  strength  had 
become  nearly  exhausted.  With  great  difficulty  he 
succeeded  in  placing  the  bamboo  again  around  his 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  27 

body ;  and,  giving  the  appointed  signal  to  his  at 
tendants  above  to  heave  away,  he  was  drawn  up  from 
that  Tartarean  cavern  more  dead  than  alive.  He 
fainted  on  reaching  the  summit  of  the  crater,  and 
was  with  difficulty  restored  to  consciousness  by  the 
use  of  active  medical  agents. 

From  Luzon  Dr.  Kane  returned  to  Macao.  In 
August,  1844,  the  American  embassy  sailed  on  its 
sroyage  home ;  but  Dr.  Kane  did  not  accompany  it. 
It  was  his  purpose  not  to  follow  so  direct  a  route, 
nor  to  travel  in  such  haste,  but  to  embrace  the 
opportunity  which  was  then  afforded  him  to  visit 
the  vast  and  interesting  countries  which  intervened. 
Accordingly  he  journeyed  through  the  interior  of 
India,  and  traversed  the  Himalaya  Mountains. 
Travelling  westward  through  those  romantic  climes 
of  the  gorgeous  Orient,  whose  historical  glories  and 
whose  natural  wonders  no  one  was  able  to  appreciate 
better  than  himself,  he  reached  Alexandria.  Hence 
he  proceeded  to  the  examination  of  the  mysteries 
and  wonders  of  the  land  of  the  Nile.  He  visited 
Thebes,  the  city  of  a  hundred  gates  ;  the  Pyramids  ; 
the  Second  Cataracts;  the  Temples  of  Kameses; 
the  mysterious  and  once  musical,  but  now  voiceless, 
statue  of  Memnon.  From  Egypt  he  proceeded  to 
Greece,  and  visited  Athens,  Leuctra,  Parnassus,  and 
the  historical  plains  of  Platsea  and  Thermopylae. 


28  ELISIIA    KENT   KANE. 

Having  exhausted  the  most  interesting  and  instruc 
tive  localities  within  the  confines  of  the  once  fair  and 
free  Hellas,  he  journeyed  on  by  the  Adriatic  to 
Venice,  still  "throned  upon  her  hundred  isles;" 
and  from  Vienna,  through  Germany,  Switzerland, 
and  France,  to  London,  and  thence  to  his  native 
land. 

Dr.  Kane  reached  the  United  States  in  August, 
1846.  Being  still  connected  with  the  navy  as 
assistant  surgeon,  and  being  desirous,  as  usual,  of 
engaging  in  active  service,  he  was  shortly  afterward 
despatched  to  the  coast  of  Africa,  in  the  frigate 
"  United  States,"  under  the  orders  of  Commodore 
Reed.  The  object  of  this  expedition  was  to  aid  in  the 
suppression  of  the  slave-trade ;  and  during  his  resi 
dence  near  the  kingdom  of  Dahomey,  one  of  the  great 
African  marts  of  that  bloody  and  inhuman  traffic, 
Dr.  Kane  had  an  opportunity  of  exploring  a  portion 
of  the  interior  of  that  benighted  kingdom.  He  was 
here  violently  attacked  by  the  coast  fever.  The 
disease  made  formidable  ravages  upon  his  delicate 
constitution ;  and  he  was  so  greatly  reduced  that 
he  was  sent  home  in  a  Liberian  transport-ship,  as 
the  only  possible  means  of  averting  certain  and  im 
pending  death. 


CHAPTER  IIL 

DR.  KANE'S  ADVENTURES  IN  MEXICO — SKETCH  OP 
.     ARCTIC  EXPLORATION. 

DR.  KANE  never  recovered  from  the  ravages  pro 
duced  by  the  African  fever  upon  his  system.  It 
required  some  months  of  assiduous  care  and  nursing 
before  he  became  able  to  think  again  of  any  serious 
engagement.  The  war  between  the  United  States 
and  Mexico  was  then  in  progress ;  and  as  his  phy 
sical  frame  recovered  a  portion  of  its  strength,  his 
mind  regained  its  wonted  energy  and  activity.  He 
could  not  rest  idly  while  other  men  were  fighting 
the  battles  of  his  country,  and  winning  the  laurels 
which  are  due  to  the  brave.  Accordingly,  toward 
the  end  of  the  year  1847  he  applied  to  President 
Polk  for  permission  to  join  the  army  in  Mexico 
with  a  military  commission.  The  President,  after 
some  deliberation,  granted  his  request,  ordered  him 
to  join  the  medical  staff  of  the  army,  and  intrusted 
him  with  important  despatches  for  General  Scott. 
He  journeyed  rapidly  to  Few  Orleans,  and  sailed 

thence  to  Yera  Cruz.     Escaping  shipwreck  in  the 

3*  29 


30  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

Gulf  as  by  a  miracle,  he  entered  that  port,  disem 
barked,  and  advanced  toward  the  position  occupied 
by  the  American  army  as  far  as  Perote. 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  one  of  the  most 
romantic  incidents  connected  with  the  whole  career 
of  Dr.  Kane  occurred.  He  found  it  absolutely 
necessary  to  obtain  an  escort  before  advancing  any 
farther  into  the  hostile  territory,  which  was  filled 
with  roving  companies  of  guerrillas.  It  was  impos 
sible  at  that  moment  to  secure  any  other  protection 
than  that  afforded  by  a  renegade  Mexican  named 
Doruinguez,  who  had  entered  the  American  service 
together  with  a  large  number  of  his  desperate  and 
outlawed  associates.  Thus  attended,  Dr.  Kane  con 
tinued  his  journey  toward  the  city  of  Mexico. 
When  they  arrived  at  Nopal  uca,  the  intelligence 
arrived,  that  a  body  of  Mexican  troops  was  approach 
ing  for  the  purpose  of  intercepting  him  and  seizing 
the  despatches.  Overcome  with  terror,  Dominguez 
immediately  proposed  to  retreat;  but  Kane  vehe 
mently  resisted  this  purpose,  and  threatened  him 
with  the  vengeance  of  the  American  Government 
should  he  execute  it.  By  this  time  the  two  hostile 
parties  came  in  sight  of  each  other  on  the  summit 
of  a  hill.  Kane  immediately  commanded  his  men 
to  charge,  and  himself  led  them  forward  with  the 
coolness  and  heroism  of  a  veteran. 


ELISHA   KENT  KANE.  31 

The  Mexicans  were  commanded  by  General 
Gaona,  a  soldier  of  some  distinction  in  the  service 
of  his  country.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  son,  a 
young  officer  of  great  promise.  Dr.  Kane's  horse 
was  severely  wounded  and  fell  to  the  ground.  He 
soon  released  himself  from  the  prostrate  animal, 
and  continued  to  fight.  The  action  was  brief  but 
decisive.  General  Gaona  and  his  son  were  both, 
wounded ;  General  Torrejon,  five  officers,  and  forty 
privates  were  taken  prisoners.  Dr.  Kane  was  him 
self  slightly  wounded,  and  conducted  himself  on 
this  occasion  with  great  gallantry.  The  victory  of 
the  Americans  was  complete. 

But  the  most  singular  episode  of  this  occasion  yet 
remained  to  be  enacted.  The  younger  Gaona  was 
bleeding  to  death  from  his  wound  in  the  lungs. 
Dr.  Kane,  perceiving  his  critical  condition,  succeeded 
in  tying  up  a  severed  artery,  and  thus  saved  the  life 
of  his  gallant  foe.  After  journeying  for  some  dis 
tance  with  their  prisoners,  the  savage  Dominguez 
seemed  determined  to  wreak  his  vengeance  on  the 
captives  by  putting  them  to  death.  This  inhuman 
purpose  Dr.  Kane  resolutely  opposed ;  but  it  was  not 
until  he  displayed  the  most  determined  repugnance 
to  it,  and  even  drew  his  revolver  and  threatened 
to  shoot  the  first  man  who  laid  his  hand  upon  a  pri 
soner,  that  he  succeeded  in  changing  the  intention 


32  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

of  the  bloodthirsty  bandit.  The  whole  Mexican 
party  owed  their  lives  to  the  heroic  firmness  of  I>r. 
Kane;  and  General  Gaona  subsequently  testified 
his  sense  of  gratitude  to  his  preserver,  when  he  was 
attacked  with  dangerous  illness,  by  having  him  con 
veyed  to  his  own  sumptuous  residence  in  the  city  of 
Puebla,  and  nursing  him  there  in  his  own  family 
with  the  utmost  care  and  assiduity  until  his  partial 
recovery.  A  considerable  interval  elapsed  before 
that  event  was  attained ;  and  so  greatly  had  Dr.  Kane 
been  prostrated  by  his  disease,  which  was  an  aggra 
vated  form  of  typhus,  that  the  report  of  his  death 
became  prevalent,  and  even  reached  his  relatives  in 
Philadelphia.  But  the  tender  offices  of  the  grate 
ful  old  general  and  of  his  accomplished  and  beauti 
ful  daughters  once  more  rescued  our  hero  from  the 
gaping  jaws  of  the  grave. 

As  soon  as  Dr.  Kane  recovered  sufficiently  to  be 
able  to  travel,  he  hastened  to  the  city  of  Mexico  and 
delivered  his  despatches  into  the  hands  of  General 
Scott.  He  remained  at  the  seat  of  war  until  peace 
was  proclaimed.  "When  that  propitious  event  oc 
curred  he  began  to  journey  homeward.  In  April 
he  embarked  at  Yera  Cruz  ;  and  in  a  short  time  he 
reached  Philadelphia,  still  suffering  severely  from 
the  wound  which  he  had  received  in  the  action  at 
INTopaluca.  In  February,  1849,  a  number  of  the 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  33 

moot  distinguished  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  rightly 
judging  that  some  honorary  memorial  of  his  gallant 
services  was  due,  presented  him  with  a  handsome 
sword,  as  an  evidence  of  their  high  appreciation  of 
his  short  but  brilliant  military  career. 

In  the  year  1849  Dr.  Kane  made  a  voyage  in  the 
store-ship  "Supply"  to  the  Mediterranean.  During 
this  trip,  as  if  to  furnish  him  with  a  general  variety 
and  assortment  of  bodily  ailments,  he  suffered  an 
attack  of  lockjaw.  He  bled  himself  profusely,  and, 
by  so  doing,  prolonged  his  life.  He  returned  home, 
and  spent  a  large  portion  of  the  year  1850  in  at 
tempts  to  recruit  his  shattered  health,  partly  in  his 
native  State  and  partly  beneath  the  more  genial  sky 
of  a  Southern  clime.  During  this  period  a  subject 
admirably  adapted  to  enlist  the  profoundest  interest 
of  a  person  possessing  his  peculiar  qualities  and 
temperament  was  deeply  engaging  the  public  atten 
tion.  Several  hundreds  of  British  seamen  had  been 
enveloped  and  lost  amid  the  eternal  snows  of  the 
Polar  clime;  and  their  rescue  from  death,  or  the 
discovery  of  their  fate  if  dead,  became  an  enterprise 
which  excited  the  admiring  sympathy  of  the  civilized 
world.  "Would  it  be  possible  for  Elisha  Kent  Kane 
to  view  such  a  theme  and  such  a  purpose  with  cold 
indifference  ? 

The  discovery  of  a  passage  to  the  East  Indies  bj 


34  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

the  North  Pole — thus  obtaining  a  much  more  direct 
route  than  by  doubling  the  distant  and  stormy  Cape 
of  Good  Hope — is  one  of  those  Utopian  and  fan 
ciful  conceptions,  which  have  charmed  and  deluded 
the  imaginations  of  nautical  men  during  several 
centuries.  The  first  formal  proposition  which  was 
ever  made  on  the  subject  by  a  person  of  consequence 
came  from  a  distinguished  merchant  of  Bristol,  who, 
in  1527,  presented  a  memorial  to  King  Henry  VIII. 
of  England,  setting  forth  some  considerations  in 
favor  of  the  feasibility  and  desirableness  of  obtaining 
such  a  passage.  But  that  royal  and  detestable  brute 
was  too  busily  engaged  in  gratifying  his  passions  and 
divorcing  and  murdering  his  wives,  to  devote  any 
serious  attention  to  so  dangerous  and  repulsive  an 
enterprise.  The  first  expedition  which  was  sent 
forth  to  explore  the  Polar  seas  was  fitted  out  by  a 
few  merchants  of  London  during  the  earlier  portion 
of  the  seventeenth  century.  Their  exertions  did  not 
accomplish  any  important  results  or  attain  any  very 
valuable  information;  yet  the  subject  attracted 
public  attention,  and  the  lapse  of  time  was  only 
necessary  to  increase  the  interest  already  felt  in 
reference  to  it. 

In  1773  the  first  expedition  which  was  organized 
with  the  patronage  of  the  British  Government  was 
despatched  under  the  command  of  Captain  Phipps, 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  35 

who  had  secured  the  favorable  influence  of  Lord 
Sandwich,  the  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty.  His 
squadron  consisted  of  the  "Racehorse"  and  the 
"Carcass;"  and  although  the  commander  was  an 
officer  of  great  ability  and  resolution,  such  happened 
at  that  time  to  be  the  peculiar  and  perilous  condi 
tion  of  the  Polar  seas,  that  he  found  it  impossible 
to  penetrate  the  immense  wall  of  ice  which  stretched 
between  the  latitude  of  eighty-one  degrees  to  the 
north  of  Spitzbergen. 

The  Russian  navigators  have  divided  with  those 
of  Great  Britain  the  chief  honors  attendant  upon 
the  exploration  of  the  Arctic  zone.  In  1648  one  of 
the  former,  Admiral  Deshnew,  penetrated  through 
the  Polar  into  the  Pacific  Ocean.  In  1741  the  in 
trepid  Behring  discovered  the  straits  which  now 
bear  his  name  and  render  it  immortal.  Captains 
Tschischagoff,  Vancouver,  Billings,  and  Yon  Wran- 
gell  were  all  celebrated  Russian  explorers,  who,  at 
different  periods  and  under  various  circumstances, 
toiled  heroically  to  force  the  colossal  barriers  which 
seemed  to  conceal  so  jealously  from  the  scrutiny  of 
man  the  secrets  of  that  repulsive  and  inhospitable 
realm. 

The  wars  which  shook  the  continent  of  Europe 
during  Napoleon's  prodigious  career  suspended  for 
a  time  all  activity  in  Arctic  research.  Previous  to 


$6  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

this  period  Captain  Hearne  had  obtained  a  glimpse 
of  the  Polar  Sea,  in  1771 ;  and  not  long  after,  Cap 
tain  MacKenzie  discovered  the  river  which  flows 
into  that  hyperborean  gulf  to  which  his  own  name 
was  given.  These  adventurers  succeeded  in  ex 
ploring  the  eastern  and  western  coasts  of  Greenland 
as  far  as  75°  N".  latitude.  Hudson's  Bay  and  Strait 
had  also  been  clearly  traced  by  the'  intrepid  navi 
gator  of  that  name.  But  all  the  greater  and  more 
perilous  arcana  of  that  vast  world  of  frozen  moun 
tains,  seas,  coasts,  and  headlands,  still  remained  un- 
invaded  and  unknown  to  the  most  resolute  intruder. 
"With  the  establishment  of  a  European  peace 
the  attention  of  the  English  Government  was  again 
attracted  to  this  subject.  In  1818  Sir  John  Koss 
achieved  his  first  Arctic  voyage  in  the  ships  "  Isa 
bella"  and  "Alexander."  No  previous  expedition 
had  ever  been  so  fully  equipped  as  this  for  the  im 
portant  purposes  and  arduous  duties  for  which  it  was 
intended.  Captain  Boss  explored  Smith's,  Jones's, 
and  Lancaster  Sounds,  and  made  many  valuable 
observations  and  discoveries.  In  the  same  year 
Captains  Buchan  and  Franklin  were  sent  out  to 
the  coast  of  Spitzbergen  in  the  "  Dorothea"  and 
"Trent."  This  was  the  first  Arctic  voyage  made  by 
that  heroic  commander  whose  labors  and  whose 
mysterious  fate  have,  during  so  many  years,  so 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  37 

deeply  engaged  the  attention  and  sympathy  of  the 
civilized  world.  In  1820  the  expedition  under 
Captain  "William  Parry  was  undertaken,  which  was 
afterward  followed,  in  1821,  by  his  second  and  more 
famous  venture.  In  1824  the  same  able  commander 
achieved  his  third  Arctic  voyage.  Our  limited  space 
forbids  us  to  enumerate  seriatim  even  the  most  im 
portant  expeditions  which  ensued,  during  the  pro 
gress  of  the  present  century,  in  pursuit  of  the  same 
great  achievement  of  Arctic  discovery, — the  attain 
ment  of  a  northwest  passage.*  In  1845,  Sir  John, 
Franklin,  who  had  continued  to  serve  with  increasing 
distinction  in  the  British  navy  since  the  year  1800, 
embarked  on  his  last  memorable  Arctic  expedition, 
in  command  of  the  ships  "Erebus"  and  "Terror." 
Great  expectations  were  entertained  in  reference  to 
the  probable  results  to  be  effected  by  this  expedition, 
in  consequence  of  the  high  fame  already  secured 
by  its  commander  for  ability,  resolution,  and  ex 
perience.  No  apprehensions  were  felt  for  the  safety 
of  the  expedition  till  after  the  lapse  of  three  years, 

*  The  reader  will  find  a  complete  history  of  all  these  expeditions 
in  the  work  entitled  "Arctic  Explorations  and  Discoveries  during  the 
Nineteenth  Century,  being  Detailed  Accounts  of  the  Several  Expedi 
tions  made  to  the  North  Seas,  both  English  and  American ;  concluding 
with  that  of  Dr.  E.  K.  Kane."  Edited  with  large  additions  by  Samuel 
M.  Smucker,  New  York.  Miller,  Orton  &  Co.,  1857.  pp.  517,  12mo. 

4 


38  ELISHA   KENT  KANE. 

when  the  public  interest  became  painfully  excited 
on  the  subject.  Accordingly,  in  1848  the  British 
Government  despatched  Sir  James  Boss,  in  command 
of  the  "Enterprise"  and  "Investigator,"  in  search 
of  the  absent  wanderers.  During  successive  years  fif 
teen  different  expeditions  were  sent  forth  from  Eng 
land,  for  both  the  purpose  of  rescuing  those  who 
might  yet  survive  of  Franklin's  associates,  and  to 
obtain  some  intimation  or  revelation  of  their  ulti 
mate  fate.  The  interest  felt  in  the  subject  was  not 
confined  to  the  native  land  of  the  unfortunate  ex 
plorers;  but  it  extended  also  to  other  countries.  On 
such  an  occasion  the  United  States  would  naturally 
sympathize  more  deeply  with  the  perils  of  the  gallant 
sufferers  than  most  other  countries ;  and  hence  that 
first  American  expedition  in  search  of  Sir  John 
Franklin,  with  which  the  destiny  of  Dr.  Kane  be 
came  subsequently  identified,  was  planned  by  the 
American  Government  and  executed  under  its  aus 
pices.  Dr.  Kane,  true  to  the  impulses  of  his  nature, 
requested  permission  of  the  United  States  Govern 
ment  to  join  that  expedition ;  and  his  request  was 
readily  complied  with. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DR.  KANE'S  FIRST  ARCTIC  EXPEDITION — SCENES  IN 
BAFFIN'S  BAY. 

IT  was  on  the  12th  of  May,  1850,  while  cruising 
in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  that  Dr.  Kane  received  a 
telegraphic  despatch  from  the  seat  of  the  Federal 
Government,  ordering  him  to  proceed  immediately 
to  New  York  and  join  the  Arctic  Expedition  which 
was  about  to  sail  thence,  under  the  command  of 
Lieut.  E.  J.  De  Haven,  in  search  of  Sir  John 
Franklin.  He  reached  New  York  after  a  rapid 
journey  of  seven  days  and  a  half,  and  immediately 
provided  himself  with  the  most  essential  imple 
ments  of  scientific  observation,  and  the  chief  ingre 
dients  of  an  Arctic  wardrobe.  He  also  procured  a 
few  select  and  favorite  volumes  as  companions  of 
his  studious  solitude  during  the  long,  dark,  mono 
tonous  hours  of  his  wintry  exile. 

Two  small  brigs,  named  the  "Advance"  and  the 
"Rescue,"  had  been  appropriated  by  the  Govern 
ment  to  the  uses  of  this  expedition.  Both  vessels 

together  amounted  only  to  two  hundred  and  thirty- 

39 


40  ELISHA   KENT  KANE. 

five  tons'  burden.  Notwithstanding  their  diminu 
tive  size,  they  were  admirably  adapted  to  the  pur 
poses,  the  vicissitudes,  and  the  hardships  of  a  cruise 
in  the  Polar  clime ;  for  they  had  been  constructed 
with  special  reference  to  an  extreme  power  of  resist 
ance.  Their  hulls  may  be  said  to  have  been  double, 
and  were  inwardly  braced  and  clamped  with  masses 
of  strong  timber,  which  diverged  and  crossed  each 
other  in  various  directions  throughout  their  inte 
riors.  The  liberality  of  Mr.  Grinnell,  of  New  York, 
had  also  been  exhibited  in  the  lavish  manner  in 
which  the  appointments  and  equipments  of  the 
expedition  had  been  furnished. 

The  crews  of  the  two  brigs  were  man-of-war's 
men,  who  had  been  selected  with  special  reference 
to  their  familiarity  with  the  most  difficult  and  labo 
rious  branches  of  the  service;  and  they  numbered, 
with  the  officers,  thirty-three  men.  Dr.  Kane  held 
the  post  of  passed  assistant  surgeon  in  the  Advance. 
On  the  22d  of  May  the  vessels  sailed  from  the  port 
of  New  York,  and  glided  down  the  placid  waters 
of  that  magnificent  bay,  hurried  forward  by  the 
vigorous  and  untiring  power  of  a  steam-tug.  Soon 
the  crowded  edifices  and  lofty  turrets  of  the  me 
tropolis  faded  from  their  receding  view;  and  by 
the  time  the  shadows  of  evening  descended  upon 
the  diversified  scene  of  rolling  billow  and  verdant 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  41 

landscape,  they  reached  Sandy  Hook,  and  tokens  of 
a  gathering  storm  overclouded  the  heavens. 

On  the  7th  of  June  the  Advance  reached  ]STew- 
foundland.  Here  the  adventurers  obtained  their 
first  view  of  an  iceberg.  A  vast  mass,  "twice  the 
size  of  Girard  College,"  of  the  purest  white,  loomed 
up  before  their  vision,  and  came  sailing  slowly  and 
majestically  downward  from  the  interior  realms  of 
that  frozen  and  awful  zone  which  they  were  them 
selves  approaching.  After  this  period  the  novelty  of 
these  colossal  masses  gradually  wore  away,  and  they 
became  quite  familiar,  but  not  always  quite  harm 
less,  though  generally  very  grand  and  impressive. 
On  the  20th  the  Advance  made  the  coast  near  the 
towering  peak  called  Sukkertoppen,  which  is  one  of 
the  great  landmarks  of  that  rugged  region.  Thence 
they  proceeded  to  the  Crown  Prince  Islands,  which 
had  been  appointed  as  the  place  where  the  Rescue 
should  again  join  the  Advance.  This  spot  is  a 
small  settlement  inhabited  by  Esquimaux,  who 
acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  Denmark.  The 
Danes  use  it  as  a  fishing-station ;  and  all  the  inhabit 
ants  depend  for  their  subsistence  entirely  upon  the 
precarious  produce  of  their  nets. 

On  the  27th  Dr.  Kane  was  sent  by  the  com 
mander,  with  a  crew  of  five  men,  to  the  settlement 

of  Lievely,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  information 

4* 


42  ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

and  purchasing  an  additional  stock  of  furs.  This 
place  is  the  residence  of  the  Danish  Inspector  of 
Northern  Greenland,  and  possesses  one  comfortable 
residence.  Dr.  Kane  succeeded  in  securing  a 
supply  of  seal-skins,  which  were  afterward  of  great 
and  even  of  essential  service  to  the  members  of  the 
expedition.  He  and  his  crew  then  returned  to  the 
Advance,  and  on  the  29th  the  two  brigs  resumed 
their  voyage,  doubled  the  southwest  cape  of  Disco, 
and  steered  directly  for  the  Pole.  On  the  3d  of 
July  the  vessels  passed  a  lofty  headland,  called  from 
its  appearance  Black  Head,  in  the  neighborhood 
of  which  the  crews  celebrated,  on  the  ensuing  day, 
the  national  anniversary  ;  but  their  solitary  position 
and  the  limited  nature  of  their  supplies  made  their 
observance  of  it  devoid  of  special  interest.  On  the 
6th  they  approached  Upernavik,  the  last  settlement 
of  Esquimaux  to  be  found  in  those  Northern  realms. 
They  still  sailed  onward  without  serious  obstruc 
tion,  though  frequently  surrounded  by  floating  ice 
bergs,  until  the  8th,  when,  at  dawn  of  day,  they 
found  themselves  wedged  fast  in  an  immense  sheet 
of  snow-covered  ice.  The  vessels  bore  the  singular 
appearance  of  being  locked  in  the  centre  of  a  dreary 
and  frozen  ocean. 

During    twenty-one    days    the    brigs    remained 
imprisoned  in  the  ice,  unable  to  move  in  any  direc- 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  43 

tion  except  in  a  small  circle  six  miles  in  extent. 
Innumerable  efforts  were  made  to  warp  and  work 
their  way  through  the  ice,  but  generally  to  little 
purpose.  They  were  embedded  in  what  is  known 
as  the  Middle  Pack  of  Melville  Bay.  Sometimes, 
during  the  progress  of  a  day,  they  advanced  half  a 
ship's  length.  New  ice  was  constantly  forming  in 
the  little  pools  in  which  the  vessels  lay.  And  this 
occurred  in  July,  beneath  a  midsummer's  sun !  On 
the  28th  of  the  month  the  wind  shifted  to  the  east 
ward,  the  floes  opened  wider,  water  became  visible 
to  the  north  and  east,  and  the  men  c'ast  off  and 
commenced  to  bore  the  ice.  The  sea  was  now 
covered  with  immense  fragments  of  broken  ice, 
which  dashed  and  surged  around  them,  grinding 
fiercely  against  each  other  and  sometimes  against  the 
helpless  vessels  tossing  in  their  midst.  They  sailed 
along  with  their  topsail-yard  on  the  cap.  A  gale 
blew,  and  they  ran  a  perilous  race  before  it.  On 
the  29th  they  left  the  pack,  and  in  two  days  they 
had  made  forty  miles  in  spite  of  the  perils  of  the 
rolling  icebergs  and  the  turbulent  sea. 

On  the  2d  of  August  the  vessels  reached  the  coast 
between  Allison's  and  Duneira  Bays,  north  of  75°. 
Here  they  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  shores  of  Green 
land.  It  was  covered  with  immense  glaciers,  which, 
even  at  the  distance  of  eighteen  miles,  presented  a 


44  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

sublime  and  imposing  appearance.  The  extent  of 
coast  thus  seen  at  a  single  view  was  about  forty 
miles,  and  its  uneven  heights  frequently  towered 
aspiringly  against  the  wintry  heavens  to  the  distance 
of  nine  hundred  feet.  Its  edges,  where  they  met 
the  sea,  were  abrupt  and  lofty  precipices,  by  whose 
base  vast  icebergs  were  slowly  and  grandly  sailing, 
some  of  which  were  three  or  four  hundred  feet 
in  height.  Dr.  Kane  counted  two  hundred  and 
eight  of  these,  of  various  sizes,  within  the  horizon 
at  a  single  time.  The  altitude  of  the  icebergs  of 
Baffin's  Bay  exceeds  .that  of  all  others.  Forster 
computes  the  greatest  altitude  of  Antarctic  ice  at  a 
hundred  feet  and  upward.  Graah  observed  none 
higher  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Greenland  than  a 
hundred  and  twenty  feet.  Scoresby  computes  those 
in  the  Spitzbergen  Sea  at  two  hundred  feet.  But 
Sir  John  Eoss  gives  the  accurate  measurement  of 
one  in  Baffin's  Bay  at  three  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  feet  in  height  and  twelve  hundred  in  length. 
The  multiform  appearances  and  the  sublime  effect  of 
these  colossal  products  of  Polar  cold  and  Polar  seas 
it  would  be  impossible  for  language  to  depict. 

Many  of  these  icebergs  are  covered  with  detritus, 
or  debris  of  rock,  earth,  and  sand.  Dr.  Kane  ob 
tained  some  specimens  of  rock  from  one  which  had 
thawed  down  to  the  water's  edge.  They  were  com- 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  45 

posed  of  quartz,  gneiss,  syenite,  and  others,  all  be 
longing  to  the  primary  series.  These  rocks  had 
been  thus  exposed  to  view  from  the  change  which 
had  taken  place  in  the  equilibrium  of  the  berg,  thus 
placing  that  portion  of  it  which  had  been  formerly 
near  its  base  in  a  more  elevated  position.  The 
forms  and  shapes  of  these  Polar  icebergs  are  innu 
merable,  and  sometimes  most  fantastic.  Often  their 
coloring  is  beautiful  in  the  extreme,  when  the  rays 
of  the  sun  impinge  upon,  and  are  refracted  at  certain 
angles  from,  their  diversified  and  irregular  surfaces. 
Now  and  then  the  tedious  monotony  of  the  cruise 
was  relieved  by  a  thrilling  adventure  with  the  Polar 
bears.  On  the  7th  of  August  an  incident  of  this 
description  occurred.  In  the  morning  a  bear  was 
seen  approaching  the  Rescue,  attracted  by  curiosity 
to  inspect  more  closely  the  bold  strangers  who  had 
thus  invaded  the  solitudes  of  his  own  inhospitable 
clime.  When  first  discovered  he  was  swimming 
toward  the  vessel,  breaking  the  newly-formed  ice 
with  his  fore-paws.  He  then  made  successive  dives, 
coming  up  each  time  between  the  cavities  in  the 
ice.  As  he  first  rose  from  these  immersions,  he 
panted  and  shook  his  head  to  free  it  from  the  water. 
A  boat  advanced  from  the  vessel  to  meet  him. 
Captain  Griffin  was  the  first  who  saluted  him  with 
a  bullet,  which  lodged  under  his  left  shoulder,  but 


46  ELISHA   KENT  KANE. 

produced  no  effect.  Several  other  balls  struck  him 
before  he  seemed  to  become  aware  of  the  dangerous 
nature  of  his  new  acquaintances.  He  then  turned 
to  escape.  Another  shot  severed  the  lumbar  verte 
brae;  when  the  poor  beast  continued  to  drag  his 
paralyzed  extremities  after  him.  His  pursuers  soon 
came  upon  him,  and  he  was  quickly  dispatched 
with  a  bayonet.  Three  days  afterward  another 
hunt  on  a  larger  scale  took  place.  Three  bears  were 
seen  deliberately  perambulating  the  ice  on  the  left, 
and  three  others  were  observed  on  the  land-ice  in 
the  opposite  direction.  One  of  these  parties  ap 
proached  the  vessels  and  soon  came  boldly  within 
shot.  Their  curiosity  and  their  rashness  cost  one 
of  them  dearly,  for  he  was  killed  by  a  bullet  lodged 
in  his  brain ;  but  while  the  men  were  securing  him, 
the  rest  profited  by  the  interval  to  make  good 
their  escape.  Shortly  after  this  interesting  and  vic 
torious  episode,  both  vessels  came  very  near  suffer 
ing  an  equally  disastrous  fate,  by  being  crushed  be 
tween  the  seaward  ice  and  the  land-floe ;  the  former 
of  which,  with  a  momentum  of  several  millions  of 
tons,  came  floating  down  and  rested  upon  the  latter 
at  the  speed  of  a  knot  an  hour,  having  the  two  ves 
sels  between  them.  Fortunately  both  vessels  rose 
upon  the  advancing  ice  and  were  saved,  after  having 
unshipped  their  rudders.  * 


CHAPTER  Y. 

ADVENTURES  AND  DISCOVERIES  AT  BEECHEY  ISLAND. 

THE  Advance  and  Rescue  still  pursued  their  slow 
and  tedious  progress  northward,  and  reached  Capes 
York  and  Dudley  Biggs.  Here  the  most  attractive 
incident  consisted  in  shooting  the  Arctic  birds  termed 
auks,  which  nestled  and  breeded  in  countless  num 
bers  on  the  beetling  crags.  Here  Dr.  Kane's  usual 
intrepidity  and  desire  of  discovery  led  him  into  a 
position  of  great  peril.  He  climbed  up  the  rugged 
heights  of  the  shore,  where  one  of  the  most  populous 
colonies  was  located.  The  angle  of  deposit  was  about 
fifty  degrees.  By  the  use  of  a  walking-pole  he 
ascended  from  one  crag  to  another,  the  fragments 
of  rock  and  earth  receding  under  his  feet  and  roll 
ing  far  down  to  the  plain  below.  His  descent  was 
more  dangerous  even  than  his  ascent.  His  walking- 
pole  was  whirled  from  his  grasp  by  the  falling  frag 
ments.  He  succeeded  at  last  in  reaching  a  projecting 
point  of  feldspar.  Against  this  point  the  descend 
ing  earth  and  stones  struck,  and  divided  into  two 

currents.      With  much   difficulty  and  danger  Dr. 

47 


48  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

Kane  pursued  his  return  to  the  surface  of  the  level 
earth  and  made  his  way  to  the  vessel. 

On  the  19th  of  August  the  expedition  had  cleared 
the  limits  of  Baffin's  Bay.  On  the  same  day  they 
discovered  two  vessels  sailing  in  their  wake,  which 
proved  to  be  the  squadron  of  Captain  Penny,  sent 
out  by  the  British  Government  in  pursuit  of  Sir 
John  Franklin.  A  hearty  welcome  and  exchange 
of  news  ensued  between  the  ships.  "When  off 
Admiralty  Inlet,  they  also  met  that  heroic  veteran 
of  Arctic  discovery  and  adventure,  Sir  John  Ross, 
also  cruising  in  a  small  vessel  in  search  of  his 
lost  friend  and  ancient  comrade.  On  the  25th  the 
American  squadron  continued  their  way  and  reached 
Cape  Riley.  Here  they  discovered  two  cairns  upon 
the  shore,  which  Dr.  Kane  inspected  with  great 
care ;  and  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  they  were 
actual  traces  of  Sir  John  Franklin's  party.  This 
was,  indeed,  no  new  discovery,  for  others  had  seen 
and  examined  these  cairns  before.  But  Dr.  Kane's 
reasoning,  whereby  they  are  supposed  to  have  been 
memorials  of  the  lost  navigators,  is  both  original 
and  convincing.  He  contended  that  their  appearance 
and  structure  prove  that  they  could  not  be  of  Esqui 
maux  origin;  that  the  only  European  who  could 
have  erected  them  or  had  visited  Cape  Riley  was 
Captain  Parry;  that  his  journal  establishes  the  fact 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  49 

that  he  had  not  encamped  there;  and  that  Cap 
tain  Ommaney's  discovery  of  similar  vestiges  on 
Beechey  Island  shows  that  these  cairns  lie  on  the 
direct  track  of  a  party  moving  between  it  and  the 
channel.  These  considerations,  which  Dr.  Kane 
argues  and  develops  at  length  in  his  journal,  clearly 
justify  the  inference  that  these  were  evident  traces 
of  the  lost  navigator. 

On  the  27th  inst.  the  officers  of  the  American 
and  English  squadrons  were  destined  to  meet  a  rich 
reward  of  their  toils,  and  to  discover  the  most 
important  as  well  as  the  most  interesting  memorials 
of  Sir  John  Franklin  which  have  ever  been  obtained. 
Captain  Penny's  party  had  first  observed  them,  and 
news  was  immediately  sent  to  Lieut.  De  Haven  of  the 
propitious  event.  The  latter,  accompanied  by  Dr. 
Kane  and  Commander  Phillips  of  the  English 
squadron,  immediately  proceeded  from  the  Advance, 
over  the  ice,  to  the  frozen  shore  of  Beechey  Island ; 
and  there  they  found  the  objects  referred  to  in  the 
information  which  they  had  received.  They  con 
sisted  of  a  piece  of  canvas,  with  the  name  of  one  of 
Sir  J.  Franklin's  ships,  the  "  Terror,"  inscribed 
upon  it ;  a  guide-board  lying  on  the  ground,  having 
been  prostrated  by  the  wind ;  a  large  number  of 
tin  canisters,  which  had  contained  preserved  meats ; 
an  anvil-block;  a  tub;  an  unfinished  rope-mat; 


50  ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

and  various  patches  of  clothing.  But  the  most 
remarkable  mementos  of  all  were  three  graves,  side 
by  side,  of  that  gallant  band  who  had  perished  amid 
those  Arctic  solitudes  and  had  there  been  laid  to 
rest.  These  graves  were  simple  and  neat  in  their 
appearance,  such  as  British  sailors  generally  construct 
over  the  bodies  of  their  unfortunate  messmates  in 
every  quarter  of  the  globe,  whether  they  expire  in 
the  frozen  zones  of  the  North,  the  coral-girded  isles 
of  the  South,  the  verdant  and  spicy  climes  of  the 
East,  or  the  gold-burdened  lands  of  the  West.  They 
were  graves  which  reminded  the  observer  of  gome 
quiet  rural  churchyard  in  England  or  in  our  own 
country,  where  the  departed  sleep  beneath  the  very 
eaves  of  the  humble  sanctuary,  surrounded  by  the 
green  turf,  the  waving  grass,  and  the  blooming  rose, 
with  which  the  hand  of  affection,  or  the  unaided 
fruitfulness  of  nature,  has  embellished  them.  One 
of  the  graves  was  especially  suggestive  of  mournful 
thoughts.  Its  inscription  ran  thus :  "  Sacred  to  the 
memory  of  John  Hartwell,  A.B.,  of  H.  M.  S.  Ere 
bus,  aged  twenty-three  years."  Here  was  a  youth 
who  had  been  reared  amid  the  classic  shades  and 
the  ennobling  influences  of  one  of  England's  great 
"Universities, — either  a  Cantab  or  an  Oxonian;  and 
it  had  been  his  strange  and  melancholy  fate  to  ter 
minate  his  brief  career  in  this  inhospitable  realm, 


BLISHA   KENT   KANE.  51 

and  lay  Ms  form  to  take  its  last,  long  slumber  in 
that  lonely  and  cheerless  solitude,  far  distant  from 
all  that  was  connected  with  the  hopes  and  joys  of 
his  youthful  prime,  and  from  the  tender  and  loving 
hearts  which  were  mo,st  deeply  interested  in  his 
happiness  and  fate. 

Dr.  Kane  and  his  companions  found  other  traces 
about  four  hundred  yards  farther  on.  Shavings  of 
wood  were  strewed  around,  a  series  of  mounds,  por 
tions  of  a  stocking  and  glove,  and  even  the  rem 
nant  of  a  garden.  At  some  distance  they  found 
a  deposit  of  more  than  six  hundred  preserved-meat 
cans,  while  minor  indications  of  the  former  presence 
of  the  party  were  numerous.  But  still  there  was  no 
written  intimation  anywhere  discovered  of  date,  of 
purpose,  or  of  the  condition  and  experience  of  the 
party.  This  is  singular,  as  it  was  the  uniform 
custom  of  Arctic  explorers  to  leave  memorials  of 
that  description  at  every  spot  where  they  had  found 
a  permanent  resting-place.  All  these  indications 
proved,  as  Dr.  Kane  clearly  establishes  in  his  nar 
rative  of  this  expedition,  that  Sir  John  Franklin 
and  his  party  wintered  here  in  1845-46 ;  that  the 
squadron  had  been  occupied  during  the  winter  in 
the  various  organized  expeditions  of  discovery 
which  are  generally  sent  out  from  the  main  station ; 
that  Sir  John  Franklin  had  undertaken  and  perhaps 


52  ELISHA    KENT    KANE. 

executed  a  systematic  and  thorough  reconnoissance 
of  Wellington  Channel;  and  that  until  that  date  the 
health  of  his  crews  had  been  good,  only  three  being 
known  to  have  died  out  of  a  hundred  and  thirty. 

During  the  sojourn  of  these  vessels  at  Beechey 
Island,  Dr.  Kane  visited  the  English  ship  Resolute ; 
and  he  narrates  that,  when  he  observed  how  far 
superior  the  organization  and  preparation  of  that 
vessel  to  confront  Arctic  rigors  were  to  those  of  the 
American  squadron,  he  felt  a  sensation  of  despond 
ency.  Says  he :  "  In  comparison  with  them  we  have 
nothing,  absolutely  nothing."  Yet  it  does  not 
appear  that  this  insufficiency  of  means  and  aids  ren 
dered  the  American  explorers  less  resolute  or  less 
successful  than  their  more  favored  competitors. 

By  the  7th  of  September  the  expedition  reached 
Barlow's  Inlet.  On  the  9th  they  passed  Cape 
Hotham,  and  soon  entered  Lancaster  Sound.  On 
the  10th  a  singular  incident  occurred ;  for,  as  if  by 
a  favorable  accident,  all  the  squadrons  then  cruising 
in  the  Arctic  regions  in  search  of  Sir  J.  Franklin  met 
without  concert  opposite  Griffith's  Island, — consist 
ing  of  the  Resolute,  Intrepid,  Assistance,  Pioneer, 
Lady  Franklin,  Sophia,  Advance,  and  Rescue, 
These  squadrons  were  commanded  respectively  by 
Austin,  Ommaney,  Penny,  and  De  Haven.  But 
they  quickly  separated  to  very  different  destinations. 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  53 

This  incident — the  assembling  together  in  that 
distant  and  inhospitable  realm  of  vessels  from  dif 
ferent  nations  in  pursuit  of  the  same  benevolent 
and  noble  aim,  the  recovery  of  the  lost — is  in 
itself  sublimely  beautiful,  and  marks  a  grand  epoch 
in  the  progress  of  humanity  in  modern  times. 
Often  have  the  gallant  ships  of  England  and  the 
United  States  met  before  upon  the  rolling  deep; 
but  those  encounters  have  been  for  the  purpose  of 
hurling  carnage  and  death  against  each  other. 
Armed  men  have  often  arrayed  themselves  there 
with  implacable  fury  in  their  hearts  ;  and  the  broad 
bosom  of  the  ocean  has  been  covered  with  the  float 
ing  wrecks  of  splendid  vessels,  and  with  the  bruised 
and  struggling  forms  of  dying  and  drowning  war 
riors.  The  thunder  of  battle  has  often  resounded  in 
the  mighty  caverns  of  the  deep,  and  the  flash  of 
artillery  has  illumed  the  heavens,  and  reddened 
the  vast  horizon  with  its  lurid  and  portentous 
splendor.  The  combatants  have  then  separated 
after  the  awful  conflict  was  ended,  exulting  in  the 
misery  they  have  inflicted,  in  the  widows  and 
orphans  whose  hearts  they  have  lacerated,  in  the 
fiendish  ferocity  and  malignity  which  they  have 
exhibited, 
But  how  different  and  how  much  nobler  were  the 

spirit  and  purpose  of  this  meeting  of  English  and 

6* 


54  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

American  seamen !  They  met  in  the  spirit  of 
charity,  generosity,  and  heroic  endurance  for  the 
alleviation  of  the  misfortunes  of  others.  A  com 
mon  sentiment  of  humanity  attracted  those  expedi 
tions  to  that  repulsive  spot  from  far  distant  coun 
tries  ;  and  the  sight  of  each  other  was  the  signal  for 
the  expression  of  the  most  friendly  sentiments  and 
for  the  mutual  performance  of  the  kindest  offices. 
This  event  possesses  an  honorable  significance  and 
import,  which  weaves  a  wreath  of  fadeless  glory, 
more  noble  than  the  proudest  trophies  of  victorious 
battle,  around  the  brows  of  those  who  were  the 
actors  in  it;  and  the  fairest  and  freshest  flowerets  of 
that  wreath  belong  to  our  own  gallant  seamen,  who 
thus  labored  to  rescue  those  who  were  not  their 
brethren,  but  the  children  of  a  foreign,  and  too 
frequently  a  hostile  clime,  from  a  most  cruel  and 
horrible  fate. 


CHAPTER  VL 

WINTER  LIFE  IN  THE  ARCTIC  REGIONS. 

THE  American  expedition  with  which  Dr.  Kane 
was  connected  was  destined  to  pass  through  a  full 
probation  of  all  the  extremes  of  Arctic  life,  during 
the  long,  dark,  dreary  solitude  of  a  Polar  winter.  It 
would  be  impossible  to  convey  to  the  reader  a  more 
correct  idea  of  the  incidents  which  marked  the  ex 
perience  of  the  subject  of  this  memoir  during  the  win 
ter  of  1851  than  by  quoting  an  extract  from  the  official 
narrative  of  the  commander  of  the  expedition,  which 
describes  the  scenes  of  which  they  both  acted  and 
experienced  a  part,  with  that  greater  accuracy  which 
personal  observation  always  gives  over  any  state 
ment  which  may  be  elaborated  by  another  differently 
situated : 

"On  the  morning  of  the  13th  Sept.  1850,  the 
wind  having  moderated  sufficiently,  we  got  under 
way,  and,  working  our  way  through  some  streams 
of  ice,  arrived  in  a  few  hours  at  Griffith's  Island, 
under  the  lee  of  which  we  found  our  consort  made 

fast  to  the  shore,  where  she  had  taken  shelter  in  the 

55 


56  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

gale,  her  crew  having  suffered  a  good  deal  from  the 
inclemency  of  the  weather.  In  bringing  to,  under  the 
lee  of  the  island,  she  had  the  misfortune  to  spring 
her  rudder,  so  that  on  joining  us  it  was  with  much 
difficulty  she  could  steer.  To  insure  her  safety  and 
more  rapid  progress,  she  was  taken  in  tow  by  the 
Advance,  when  she  bore  up  with  a  fine  breeze  from 
the  westward.  Off  Cape  Martyr  we  left  the  English 
squadron  under  Captain  Austin.  About  ten  miles 
farther  to  the  east,  the  two  vessels  under  Captain 
Penny,  and  that  under  Sir  John  Ross,  were  seen 
secured  near  the  land.  At  8  P.M.  we  had  advanced 
as  far  as  Cape  Hotham.  Thence,  as  far  as  the  in 
creasing  darkness  of  the  night  enabled  us  to  see, 
there  was  nothing  to  obstruct  our  progress,  except 
the  bay  ice.  This,  with  a  good  breeze,  would  not 
have  impeded  us  much;  but  unfortunately  the  wind, 
when  it  was  most  required,  failed  us.  The  snow, 
with  which  the  surface  of  the  water  was  covered, 
rapidly  cemented,  and  formed  a  tenacious  coat, 
through  which  it  was  impossible  with  all  our  appli 
ances  to  force  the  vessels.  At  8  P.M.  they  came  to 
a  dead  stand,  some  ten  miles  to  the  east  of  Barlow's 
Inlet. 

"  The  following  day  the  wind  hauled  to  the  south 
ward,  from  which  quarter  it  lasted  till  the  19th. 
During  this  period  the  young  ice  was  broken,  its 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  57 

edges  squeezed  up  like  hummocks,  and  one  floe 
overrun  by  another  until  it  all  assumed  the  appear 
ance  of  heavy  ice.  The  vessels  received  some  heavy 
nips  from  it ;  but  they  withstood  them  without  in 
jury.  "Whenever  a  pool  of  water  made  its  appear 
ance,  every  effort  was  made  to  reach  it,  in  hopes 
that  it  would  lead  us  into  Beechey  Island,  or  some 
other  place  where  the  vessels  might  be  placed 
in  security;  for  the  winter  set  in  unusually  early, 
and  the  severity  with  which  it  commenced  forbade 
all  hopes  of  our  being  able  to  return  this  season.  I 
now  became  anxious  to  attain  a  point  in  the  neigh 
borhood  from  whence,  by  means  of  land-parties  in 
the  spring,  a  goodly  extent  of  Wellington  Channel 
might  be  examined. 

"In  the  mean  time,  under  the  influence  of  the 
south  wind,  we  were  being  set  up  the  channel.  On 
the  18th  we  were  above  Cape  Bowden,  the  most 
northern  point  seen  on  this  shore  by  Parry.  The 
land  on  both  shores  was  seen  much  farther,  and 
trended  considerably  to  the  west  of  north.  To 
account  for  this  drift,  the  fixed  ice  of  Wellington 
Channel,  which  we  had  observed  in  passing  to  the 
westward,  must  have  been  broken  up  and  driven  to 
the  southward  by  the  heavy  gale  of  the  12th.  On 
the  19th  the  wind  veered  to  the  north,  which  gave 
us  a  southerly  set,  forcing  us  at  the  same  time  with 


58  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

the  western  shore.  This  did  not  last  long ;  for  the 
next  day  the  wind  hauled  again  to  the  south  and 
blew  fresh,  bringing  the  ice  in  upon  us  with  much 
pressure.  At  midnight  it  broke  up  all  around  us, 
so  that  we  had  work  to  maintain  the  Advance  in  a 
safe  position  and  keep  her  from  being  separated 
from  her  consort,  which  was  immovably  fixed  in  the 
centre  of  a  large  floe. 

"We  continued  to  drift  slowly  to  the  KK"W. 
until  the  22d,  when  our  progress  appeared  to  be 
arrested  by  a  small  low  island,  which  was  discovered 
in  that  direction,  about  seven  miles  distant.  A 
channel  of  three  or  four  miles  in  width  separated  it 
from  Cornwallis  Island.  This  latter  island,  trending 
"N.W.  from  our  position,  terminated  abruptly  in  an 
elevated  cape,  to  which  I  have  given  the  name  of 
Manning,  after  a  warm  personal  friend  and  ardent 
supporter  of  the  Expedition.  Between  Cornwallis 
Island  and  some  distant  high  land  visible  in  the 
north  appeared  a  wide  channel  leading  to  the  west 
ward.  A  dark,  misty-looking  cloud  which  hung 
over  it  (technically  termed  frost-smoke)  was  indi 
cative  of  much  open  water  in  that  direction.  This 
was  the  direction  in  which  my  instructions,  referring 
to  the  investigations  of  the  National  Observatory 
concerning  the  winds  and  currents  of  the  ocean, 
directed  me  to  look  for  open  water.  Nor  was  the 


ELISHA   KENT    KANE.  59 

open  water  the  only  indication  that  presented  itself 
in  confirmation  of  this  theoretical  conjecture  as  to  a 
milder  climate  in  that  direction.  As  we  entered 
Wellington  Channel  the  signs  of  animal  life  became 
more  abundant ;  and  Captain  Penny,  commander  of 
one  of  the  English  expeditions,  who  afterward  pene 
trated  on  sledges  much  toward  the  region  of  the 
*  frost-smoke,'  much  farther  than  it  was  possible  for 
us  to  do  in  our  vessels,  reported  that  he  actually 
arrived  on  the  borders  of  this  open  sea. 

"Thus,  these  admirably  drawn  instructions,  de 
riving  arguments  from  the  enlarged  and  compre 
hensive  system  of  physical  research,  not  only  pointed 
with  emphasis  to  an  unknown  sea  into  which  Frank 
lin  had  probably  found  his  way,  but  directed  me  to 
search  for  traces  of  his  expedition  in  the  very  chan 
nel  at  the  entrance  of  which  it  is  now  ascertained 
he  had  passed  his  first  winter.  The  direction  in 
which  search  with  most  chances  of  success  is  now 
to  be  made  for  the  missing  expedition,  or  for  traces 
of  it,  is  no  doubt  in  the  direction  which  is  so 
clearly  pointed  out  in  my  instructions.  To  the 
channel  which  appeared  to  lead  into  the  open  sea 
over  which  the  cloud  of  '  frost-smoke'  hung  as  a 
sign,  I  have  given  the  name  of  Maury,  after  the 
distinguished  gentleman  at  the  head  of  our  National 
Observatory,  whose  theory  with  regard  to  an  open 


60  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

sea  to  the  north  is  likely  to  be  realized  through  this 
channel.  To  the  large  mass  of  land  visible  between 
N.W.  to  N.IT.E.  I  gave  the  name  of  Grinnell,  in 
honor  of  the  head  and  heart  of  the  man  in  whose 
philanthropic  mind  originated  the  idea  of  this  ex 
pedition,  and  to  whose  munificence  it  owes  its  exist 
ence. 

"  To  a  remarkable  peak  bearing  K.F.E.  from  us, 
distant  about  forty  miles,  was  given  the  name  of 
Mount  Franklin.  An  inlet  or  harbor  immediately 
to  the  north  of  Cape  Bowden  was  discovered  by  Mr. 
Griffin  in  his  land-excursion  from  Point  Innes,  on 
the  27th  of  August,  and  has  received  the  name  of 
Griffin  Inlet.  The  small  island  mentioned  before 
was  called  Murdaugh's  Island,  after  the  acting  mas 
ter  of  the  Advance.  The  eastern  shore  of  Welling 
ton  Channel  appeared  to  run  parallel  with  the  west 
ern,  but  it  became  quite  low,  and,  being  covered 
with  snow,  could  not  be  distinguished  with  certainty, 
so  that  its  continuity  with  the  high  land  to  the  north 
was  not  ascertained.  Some  small  pools  of  open 
water  appearing  near  us,  an  attempt  was  made 
about  fifty  yards,  but  all  our  combined  efforts  were 
of  no  'avail  in  extricating  the  Eescue  from  her  icy 
cradle.  A  change  of  wind  not  only  closed  the  ice 
up  again,  but  threatened  to  give  a  severe  nip.  We 
unshipped  her  rudder  and  placed  it  out  of  harm's  way. 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  61 

"September  22d  was  an  uncomfortable  day.  The 
wind  was  from  1ST.E.  with  snow.  From  an  early 
hour  in  the  morning,  the  floes  began  to  be  pressed 
together  with  so  much  force  that  their  edge  was 
thrown  up  in  immense  ridges  of  rugged  hummocks. 
The  Advance  was  heavily  nipped  between  two  floes, 
and  the  ice  was  piled  up  so  high  above  the  rail  on 
the  starboard  side  as  to  threaten  to  come  on  board 
and  sink  us  with  its  weight.  All  hands  were  oc 
cupied  in  keeping  it  out.  The  pressure  and  com 
motion  did  not  cease  till  near  midnight,  when  we 
were  very  glad  to  have  a  respite  from  our  labors 
and  fears.  The  next  day  we  were  threatened  with 
a  similar  scene,  but  it  fortunately  ceased  in  a  short 
time.  For  the  remainder  of  September,  and  until 
the  4th  of  October,  the  vessels  drifted  but  little. 
The  winds  were  very  light,  the  thermometer  fell  to 
minus  12,  and  ice  formed  over  the  pools  in  sight 
sufficiently  strong  to  travel  upon.  We  were  now 
strongly  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the  ice  had 
become  fixed  for  the  winter,  and  that  we  should  be 
able  to  send  out  travelling  parties  from  the  advanced 
position  for  the  examination  of  the  lands  to  the 
northward.  Stimulated  by  this  fair  prospect,  another 
attempt  was  made  to  reach  the  shore  in  order  to 
establish  a  dep6t  of  provisions  at  or  near  Cape 
Manning,  which  would  materially  facilitate  the  pro- 


62  ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

gress  \if  our  parties  in  the  spring;  but  the  ice  was 
still  found  to  be  detached  from  the  shore,  and  a 
narrow  lane  of  water  cut  us  from  it. 

"  During  the  interval  of  comparative  quiet,  prelimi 
nary  measures  were  taken  for  heating  the  Advance 
and  increasing  her  quarters  so  as  to  accommodate 
the  officers  and  crews  of  both  vessels.  "No  stoves 
had  as  yet  been  used  in  either  vessel :  indeed,  they 
could  not  well  be  put  up  without  placing  a  large 
quantity  of  stores  and  fuel  upon  the  ice.  The  at 
tempt  was  made  to  do  this ;  but  a  sudden  crack  in 
the  floe  where  it  appeared  strongest,  causing  the 
loss  of  several  tons  of  coal,  convinced  us  that  it  was 
not  yet  safe  to  do  so.  It  was  not  until  the  20th  of 
October  we  got  fires  below.  Ten  days  later  the 
housing-cloth  was  put  over,  and  the  officers  and 
crew  of  the  Rescue  ordered  on  board  the  Advance 
for  the  winter.  Room  was  found  on  the  deck  of  the 
Rescue  for  many  of  the  provisions  removed  from 
the  hold  of  this  vessel.  Still,  a  large  quantity  had 
to  be  placed  on  the  ice.  The  absence  of  fire  below 
had  caused  much  discomfort  to  all  hands  ever  since 
the  beginning  of  September,  not  so  much  from  the 
low  temperature  as  from  the  accumulation  of 
moisture  by  condensation,  which  congealed  as  the 
temperature  decreased,  and.  covered  the  wood- work 
of  our  apartments  with  ice.  This  state  of  things  soon 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  b'J 

began  to  woik  its  effect  upon  the  health  of  the 
crews.  Several  cases  of  scurvy  appeared  among 
them,  and,  notwithstanding  the  indefatigable  at 
tention  and  active  treatment  resorted  to  by  the 
medical  officers,  it  could  not  be  eradicated :  its  pro 
gress,  however,  was  checked. 

"December  7th,  at  8  A.M.,  the  crack  in  which  we 
were  had  opened  and  formed  a  lane  of  water  fifty- 
six  feet  wide,  communicating  ahead  at  the  distance 
of  sixty  feet  with  ice  of  about  one  foot  in  thickness, 
which  had  formed  since  the  3d.  The  vessel  was 
secured  to  the  largest  floe  near  us,  (that  on  which 
our  spare  stores  were  deposited.)  At  noon  the  ice 
was  again  in  motion,  and  began  to  close,  affording 
us  the  pleasant  prospect  of  an  inevitable  nip  between 
two  floes  of  the  heaviest  kind.  In  a  short  time  the 
prominent  points  took  our  side,  on  the  starboard, 
just  about  the  main-rigging,  and  on  the  port  under 
the  counter  and  at  the  fore-rigging ;  thus  bringing 
three  points  of  pressure  in  such  a  position  that  it 
must  have  proved  fatal  to  a  larger  or  lefcs  strengthened 
vessel.  The  Advance,  however,  stood  it  bravely. 
After  trembling  and  groaning  in  every  joint,  the  ice 
passed  under  and  raised  her  about  two  and  a  half 
feet.  She  was  let  down  again  for  a  moment,  and 
then  her  stern  was  raised  about  five  feet.  Her  bows, 
being  unsupported,  were  depressed  almost  as  much. 


64  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

In  this  uncomfortable  position  we  remained.  The 
wind  blew  a  gale  from  the  eastward,  and  the  ice 
all  around  was  in  dreadful  commotion,  excepting, 
fortunately,  that  in  immediate  contact  with  us.  The 
commotion  in  the  ice  continued  all  through  the 
night;  and  we  were  in  momentary  expectation  of 
the  destruction  of  both  vessels.  The  easterly  gale 
had  set  us  some  two  or  three  miles  to  the  west.  As 
soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  see  on  the  9th,  it  was 
discovered  that  the  heavy  ice  on  which  the  Rescue 
had  been  imbedded  for  so  long  a  time  was  entirely 
broken  up  and  piled  up  around  her  in  massive 
hummocks.  On  her  pumps  being  sounded,  I  was 
gratified  to  learn  that  she  remained  tight,  notwith 
standing  the  immense  straining  and  pressure  she 
must  have  endured. 

"During  this  period  of  trial,  as  well  as  in  all  former 
and  subsequent  ones,  I  could  not  avoid  being  struck 
with  the  calmness  and  decision  of  the  officers,  as 
well  as  the  subordination  and  good  conduct  of  the 
men,  without  an  exception.  Each  one  knew  the 
imminence  of  the  peril  that  surrounded  us,  and  was 
prepared  to  abide  it  with  a  stout  heart.  There  was 
no  noise,  no  confusion.  I  did  not  detect,  even  in 
the  moment  when  the  destruction  of  the  vessel 
seemed  inevitable,  a  single  desponding  look  among 
the  whole  crew :  on  the  contrary,  each  one  seemed 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  65 

resolved  to  do  his  whole  duty,  and  every  thing  went 
on  cheerily  and  bravely.  For  my  own  part,  I  had 
become  quite  an  invalid,  so  much  so  as  to  prevent 
my  taking  an  active  part  in  the  duties  of  the  vessel 
as  I  had  always  done,  or  even  from  incurring  the 
exposure  necessary  to  proper  exercise.  However, 
I  felt  no  apprehensions  that  the  vessel  would  not  be 
properly  taken  care  of,  for  I  had  perfect  confidence 
in  one  and  all  by  whom  I  was  surrounded.  I  knew 
them  to  be  equal  to  any  emergency ;  but  I  felt  under 
special  obligations  to  the  gallant  commander  of  the 
Rescue  for  the  efficient  aid  he  rendered  me.  "With 
the  kindest  consideration  and  the  most  cheerful 
alacrity,  he  volunteered  to  perform  the  executive 
duties  during  the  winter  and  relieve  me  from  every 
thing  that  might  tend  in  the  least  to  retard  my  re 
covery. 

"During  the  remainder  of  December  the  ice  re 
mained  quiet  immediately  around  us,  and  breaks 
were  all  strongly  cemented  by  new  ice.  In  our 
neighborhood,  however,  cracks  were  daily  visible. 
Our  drift  to  the  eastward  averaged  nearly  six  miles 
per  day ;  so  that  on  the  last  of  the  month  we  were 
at  the  entrance  of  the  Sound,  Cape  Osborn  bearing 
uorth  from  us. 

"As  the  season  advanced,  the  cases  of  scurvy  be 
came  more  numerous ;  yet  they  were  all  kept  under 
E  6* 


G6  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

control  by  the  unwearied  attention  and  skilful  treat 
ment  of  the  medical  officers.  My  thanks  are  due  to 
them,  especially  to  Passed  Assistant  Surgeon  Kane, 
the  senior  medical  officer  of  the  expedition.  I  often 
had  occasion  to  consult  him  concerning  the  hygiene 
of  the  crew;  and  it  is  in  a  great  measure  owing  to 
the  advice  which  he  gave  and  the  expedients  which 
he  recommended  that  the  expedition  was  enabled 
to  return  without  the  loss  of  one  man.  By  the  latter 
end  of  February  the  ice  had  become  sufficiently 
thick  to  enable  us  to  build  a  trench  around  the 
stern  of  the  Rescue  sufficiently  deep  to  ascertain 
the  extent  of  the  injury  she  had  received  in  the  gale 
at  Griffith's  Island.  It  was  not  found  to  be  material : 
the  upper  gudgeon  alone  had  been  wrenched  from 
the  stern-post.  It  was  adjusted,  and  the  rudder 
repaired  in  readiness  for  shipping  when  it  should 
be  required.  A  new  bowsprit  was  also  made  for  her 
out  of  the  few  spare  spars  we  had  left,  and  every 
thing  made  seaworthy  in  both  vessels  before  the 
breaking  up  of  the  ice. 

"In  May  the  noonday  began  to  take  effect  upon 
the  snow  which  covered  the  ice :  the  surface  of  the 
floes  became  watery,  and  difficult  to  walk  over.  Still, 
the  dissolution  was  so  slow  in  comparison  with  the 
mass  to  be  dissolved,  that  it  must  have  taken  it  a 
long  period  to  become  liberated  from  this  causo 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  f>7 

alone.  More  was  expected  from  our  southerly  drift, 
which  still  continued,  and  must  soon  carry  us  into 
a  milder  climate  and  open  sea.  On  the  19th  of  May 
the  land  about  Cape  Searle  was  made  out,  the 
first  that  we  had  seen  since  passing  Cape  "Walter 
Bathurst,  about  the  20th  of  January.  A  few  days 
later  we  were  off  Cape  Walsingham,  and  on  the 
27th  passed  out  of  the  Arctic  zone. 

"On  the  1st  of  April  a  hole  was  cut  in  some  ice 
that  had  been  forming  since  our  first  besetment  in 
September :  it  was  found  to  have  attained  the  thick 
ness  of  seven  feet  two  inches.  In  this  month  (April) 
the  amelioration  of  the  temperature  became  quite 
sensible.  All  hands  were  kept  at  work  cutting  and 
sawing  the  ice  around  the  vessels,  in  order  to  allow 
them  to  float  once  more.  With  the  Eescue,  they  suc 
ceeded,  after  much  labor,  in  attaining  this  object; 
but  around  the  stern  of  the  Advance  the  ice  was  so 
thick  that  our  thirteen-feet  saw  was  too  short  to  pass 
through  it;  her  bows,  and  sides  as  far  aft  as  the 
gangway,  were  liberated.  After  making  some  altera 
tion  in  the  Rescue  for  the  better  accommodation  of 
her  crew,  and  fires,  being  lighted  on  board  of  her 
several  days  previous,  to  remove  the  ice  and  damp 
ness  which  had  accumulated  during  the  winter, 
both  officers  and  crew  were  transferred  to  her  on 
the  24th  of  April.  The  stores  of  this  vessel,  which 


68  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

bad  been  taken  out,  were  restored,  the  bousing-clotb 
taken  off,  and  the  vessel  made  in  every  respect  ready 
for  sea.  There  was  little  prospect,  however,  of  our 
being  able  to  reach  the  desired  element  very  soon. 
The  nearest  water  was  a  narrow  lane  more  than  two 
miles  distant.  To  cut  through  the  ice  which  inter 
vened  would  have  been  next  to  impossible.  Beyond 
this  lane,  from  the  mast-head,  nothing  but  inter 
mediate  floes  could  be  seen.  It  was  thought  best  to 
wait  with  patience  and  allow  nature  to  work  for  us. 
"June  6th,  a  moderate  breeze  from  S.E.  with 
pleasant  weather,  thermometer  up  to  40°  at  noon, 
and  altogether  quite  warm  and  melting  day.  During 
the  morning  a  peculiar  cracking  sound  was  heard 
on  the  floe.  I  was  inclined  to  impute  it  to  the 
settling  of  the  snow-drifts  as  they  were  acted  upon 
by  the  sun ;  but  in  the  afternoon,  about  five  o'clock, 
the  puzzle  was  solved  very  lucidly,  and  to  the  ex 
ceeding  satisfaction  of  all  hands.  A  crack  in  the 
floe  took  place  between  us  and  the  Eescue,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  thereafter  the  whole  immense  field 
in  which  we  had  been  imbedded  for  so  many  months 
was  rent  in  all  directions,  leaving  not  a  piece  of  one 
hundred  yards  in  diameter.  The  rupture  was  not  ac 
companied  with  any  noise.  The  Eescue  was  entirely 
liberated,  the  Advance  only  partially.  The  ice,  in 
which  her  after-part  was  imbedded,  still  adhered  to 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  69 

her  from  the  main-chains  aft,  keeping  her  stern  ele 
vated  in  its  unsightly  position.  The  pack  (as  it  may 
now  be  called)  became  quite  loose,  and,  but  for  our  per 
tinacious  friend  acting  as  an  immense  drag  upon  us, 
we  might  have  made  some  headway  in  any  desired 
direction.  All  our  efforts  were  now  turned  to  getting 
rid  of  it.  With  saws,  axes,  and  crowbars,  the  people 
went  to  work  with  a  right  good  will,  and  after  hard 
labor  for  forty-eight  hours  succeeded.  The  vessel 
was  again  afloat,  and  she  righted.  The  joy  of  all 
hands  vented  itself  spontaneously  in  three  hearty 
cheers.  The  after-part  of  the  false  keel  was  gone, 
being  carried  away  by  the  ice.  The  loss  of  it,  how 
ever,  I  was  glad  to  perceive,  did  not  materially 
affect  the  sailing  or  working  qualities  of  the  vessel. 
The  rudders  were  shipped,  and  we  were  once  more 
ready  to  move,  as  efficient  as  on  the  day  we  left 
E"ew  York. 

"  Steering  to  the  S.E.  and  working  slowly  through 
the  loose  but  heavy  pack,  on  the  9th  we  parted  from 
the  Rescue  in  a  dense  fog,  she  taking  a  different  lead 
from  the  one  the  Advance  was  pursuing." 

The  sudden  resolution  which  had  been  adopted 
by  the  commander  of  the  expedition  on  the  13th  of 
the  preceding  September,  to  desert  the  exploring 
British  squadrons  and  return  to  the  United  States 
re  infecta,  filled  the  crews  of  both  of  his  vessels  with 


70  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

astonishment.  Says  Dr.  Kane :  "I  believe  there  was 
but  one  feeling  among  the  officers  of  our  little 
squadron,  that  of  unmitigated  regret  that  we  were 
no  longer  to  co-operate  with  our  gallant  associates 
under  the  sister  flag."*  The  expedition  had  in 
reality  accomplished  nothing;  and  it  was  the  con 
sciousness  of  this  fact  which  probably  at  that  very 
moment  suggested  to  the  energetic  and  resolute 
mind  of  Dr.  Kane  the  desirableness  and  necessity  of 
subsequently  organizing  another  expedition,  which 
would  thoroughly  explore  those  remoter  arcana  of 
the  Arctic  regions,  which  might  be  accessible  to  a 
heroism  and  perseverance  which  were  more  in 
domitable  and  self-sacrificing,  and  were  more  ade 
quate  to  the  exigencies  of  the  occasion. 

On  the  10th  of  May,  aided  by  a  propitious  breeze 
from  the  north,  the  squadron  forced  its  way  into 
a  clear  and  open  sea,  in  latitude  65°  30',  thirty 
miles  distant  from  the  position  in  which  it  was  event 
ually  liberated  from  the  embarrassment  and  perils 
of  the  ice.  On  the  1st  of  July  the  vessels  made 
the  Danish  settlement  of  Proven.  On  the  8th  they 
reached  Upernavik.  They  left  Holsteinberg  on  the 
6th  of  September,  and  on  the  30th  the  Advance 
entered  the  welcome  port  of  New  York;  though 

*  See  United  States  Grinnell  Expedition,  &c.,  by  Dr.  E.  K.  Kane, 
published  by  Harper  &  Brothers,  New  York,  p.  186. 


ELISHA   KENT  KANE.  71 

the  Rescue,  having  been  separated  from  her  consorfc 
in  a  gale  to  the  southward  of  Cape  Farewell,  did 
not  reach  the  termination  of  the  voyage  until  the 
7th  of  October,  1851. 

Dr.  Kane  concluded  his  narrative  of  the  "First 
Grinnell  Expedition"  with  expressing  the  hope  that 
he  might  obtain  another  opportunity  to  establish 
the  justice  of  his  conviction,  founded  upon  many 
intelligent  and  conclusive  reasons,  that  Sir  John 
Franklin  could  yet  be  found  by  further  explorations 
and  researches.  This  expectation  was  destined  to 
be  realized,  as  the  renowned  annals  of  the  "  Second 
Grinnell  Expedition"  have  since  amply  demonstrated. 

Dr.  Kane's  chief  employment,  after  his  return  from 
his  first  Arctic  expedition,  was.  the  preparation  of  a 
record  of  his  adventures  for  the  press.  This  work 
was  published  in  handsome  style  by  the  Harpers ; 
and  although  it  is  denominated  by  him  merely  a 
"Personal  Narrative,"  it  is  also  interspersed  and 
enriched  with  many  valuable  details  of  a  descriptive 
and  scientific  character.  It  is  a  production  of  great 
ability ;  superior,  indeed,  in  a  literary  point  of  view, 
to  the  narrative  of  his  second  expedition,  because 
the  subject  was  then  fresher,  his  own  powers  were 
less  exhausted,  and  his  leisure  to  make  researches 
during  the  cruise  was  more  ample,  than  when  the 
chief  care  and  responsibility  of  an  expedition  rested 


72  ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

upon  him.  His  first  work  is  probably  the  most 
"systematic"  and  the  most  important  which  has 
yet  appeared  in  reference  to  Arctic  exploration  and 
discovery.  It  evinces  extensive  and  accurate  scien 
tific  attainments,  vigilant  and  intelligent  observa 
tion,  unwearied  industry,  intense  interest  in  the 
various  aspects  of  the  subject  under  examination; 
while  at  the  same  time  the  style  is  polished,  correct, 
and  attractive.  This  work  will  always  remain  the 
most  enduring  and  the  most  honorable  memorial 
of  Dr.  Kane's  literary  ability.  The  second  narrative 
will  more  clearly  illustrate  his  merits  as  a  practical 
explorer  and  adventurer ;  and  is  the  record  of  im 
portant  results  actually  accomplished  in  furtherance 
of  the  legitimate  purposes  of  the  expedition. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

DR.  KANE'S  MATRIMONIAL  VIEWS — HIS  CONGRESSIONAL 
PATRONAGE — HIS  UNCONQUERABLE  ENTHUSIASM. 

i 

THIS  is  no  inappropriate  place  to  introduce  a 
pleasing  episode  in  the  life  of  this  resolute  and 
daring  adventurer,  which  possesses  a  gentler  aspect 
and  a  more  tender  interest  than  that  exhibited  by 
the  other  events  of  his  life.  It  was  not  to  be  ex 
pected  that  Dr.  Kane,  notwithstanding  his  constant 
bodily  ailments  and  the  absorbing  nature  of  his 
enterprises,  should  be  insensible  to  the  charms  of 
female  beauty  or  intelligence.  In  this  matter,  as  in 
all  others,  he  was  quite  original ;  and  for  a  time  at 
least  he  acted  quite  independently.  "When  the  ladies 
of  the  Fox  family,  the  celebrated  pioneers  in  "  Spi- 
ritualism"  in  the  United  States,  visited  Philadelphia 
for  the  first  time,  Dr.  Kane  was  led  by  curiosity 
to  attend  an  exhibition  of  their  powers.  Margaret 
Fox  was  the  youngest  of  the  three  sisters ;  and  her 
rare  and  singular  beauty  at  once  attracted  the  at 
tention  of  Dr.  Kane,  and  made  a  very  deep  impres 
sion  upon  his  mind.  This  young  lady  is  described 

7  73 


74  ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

as  being  of  medium  stature,  with  regular  features, 
with  large,  expressive  black  eyes,  and  black  hair,  the 
general  effect  of  which  was  in  a  high  degree  pleas 
ing  and  attractive.  Having  made  the  acquaintance 
of  the  possessor  of  such  potent  charms,  Dr.  Kane 
found  her  disposition  to  be  amiabie,  her  manners 
graceful,  and  her  good  sense  pre-eminent.  The 
more  intimate  he  grew  with  Margaret  Fox  the  more 
he  became  attached  to  her ;  nor  did  the  inferiority 
of  her  birth,  the  deficiencies  of  her  education,  nor 
the  repulsive  notoriety  to  which  her  profession  as  a 
medium  had  subjected  her,  diminish  his  admiration 
for  her  in  the  least. 

With  his  usual  discernment  and  generosity,  Dr. 
Kane  resolved  to  remedy  the  partial  want  of  mental 
culture  which  this  fair  girl  exhibited,  by  sending 
her  to  school,  at  his  own  expense.  He  took  a  great 
interest  in  her  improvement,  consulted  her  teachers 
in  reference  to  her  progress,  and  himself  scrutinized 
her  studies  and  her  attainments.  It  was  generally 
understood  that  when  her  education  was  completed 
her  benefactor  and  admirer  intended  to  become  her 
husband.  Thus  matters  stood  when  Dr.  Kane  sailed 
on  his  first  Arctic  expedition.  It  is  evident  that  at 
that  time  Margaret  Fox  occupied  a  large  share  of 
his  thoughts,  and  that  an  absence  of  more  than 
a  year  had  not  destroyed,  or  even  diminished,  his 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  75 

tender  sentiments  toward  her.  And  it  would  also 
appear  that  the  young  lady  was  not  unworthy  of 
the  distinguished  alliance  which  she  anticipated; 
and  that  she  appreciated  the  admirable  qualities  of 
her  lover  and  her  obligations  to  him.  It  is  probable 
that  had  they  been  united  they  would  have  had  no 
reason  to  regret  it.  Nevertheless,  such  a  result  was 
not  destined  to  occur.  The  causes  which,  eventually 
dissolved  the  intimacy  between  them  are  not  known 
with  certainty.  People  do  not  proclaim  these  things 
from  the  house-top  through  a  trumpet.  But  the  ill 
health  of  Dr.  Kane,  the  absorbing  interest  which  he 
took  in  accomplishing  a  second  journey  to  the  Arctic 
regions,  the  engrossing  literary  labor  necessary  to 
prepare  the  narrative  of  his  first  expedition  for 
the  press,  and  the  uncertainty  of  his  future  fate,  aro 
most  probably  the  reasons  why  his  marriage  with, 
the  amiable  and  beautiful  seeress  was  never  con 
summated. 

The  interval  which  occurred  between  Dr.  Kane's 
return  from  his  first  Arctic  journey  and  his  second,* 
was  an  active  one,  although  during  the  summer  of 
1853  his  health  became  more  than  usually  feeble. 
He  was  then  overworking  himself  in  writing  the 
narrative  of  his  first  journey,  and  in  endeavoring  to 
obtain  the  necessary  permission  and  means  for  his 
second.  A  portion  of  the  time  was  spent  in  lee- 


76  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

turing  in  the  Northern  and  Eastern  cities  on  the  sub 
ject  of  Arctic  Exploration.  The  purpose  of  these 
lectures  was  to  obtain  funds  for  his  future  movements. 
He  was  also  employed  in  discussing  with  the  writers 
of  the  British  Admiralty  the  priority  of  the  claim 
of  De  Haven  to  the  discovery  of  the  Grinnell  Land, 
which  Captain  Austin  was  supposed  to  have  first 
discovered,  and  which  had  been  named  by  him 
"Albert  Land."  At  the  request  of  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy,  Dr.  Kane  prepared  a  labored  argument 
in  support  of  the  priority  of  discovery  on  the  part 
of  De  Haven,  in  which  he  clearly  establishes  the  fact 
that  the  American  officer  had  first  seen  the  same 
projection  of  land  which  the  British  commander 
afterward  detected.  This  argument  was  inserted 
by  Dr.  Kane  in  his  published  narrative  of  his  first 
expedition,  and  forms  a  valuable  addition  to  that 
excellent  work.* 

As  time  advanced  and  as  difficulties  increased, 
the  whole  soul  of  Dr.  Kane  became  centred  on  his 
second  expedition.  He  desired  to  obtain  an  appro 
priation  from  Congress,  but  after  considerable  effort 
he  found  the  obstacles  to  be  insurmountable.  He 


*  See  The  United  States  Grinnell  Expedition :  A  Personal  Narra 
tive,  by  E.  K.  Kane,  M.D.,  U.S.N.:  New  York,  Harper  &  Brothers, 
p.  200,  et  seq. 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  77 

stated  at  length  his  plans,  his  resources,  and  the 
extent  of  what  was  yet  requisite  and  indispensable, 
to  John  P.  Kennedy,  at  that  time  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  and  succeeded  in  obtaining  his  approbation 
and  assistance.  Additional  help  was  derived  from  dif 
ferent  sources ;  from  Mr.  Grinnell,  Mr.  Peabody,  the 
Smithsonian  Institute,  and  others.*  The  doctor  was 
placed  on  special  duty  by  Mr.  Kennedy,  in  the  Navy 
Department;  so  that  his  projected  voyage  secured 
the  advantages  which  would  result  from  an  official 
Government  connection.  Of  the  crew  which  sub 
sequently  sailed  with  him,  ten  were  thus  obtained 
from  the  naval  service.  His  greatest  toils  and  his 
severest  disappointments,  during  this  anxious  and 
laborious  interval,  were  connected  with  his  efforts 
to  obtain  an  appropriation  from  Congress.  The 
distinguished  representatives  of  the  nation  listened 
to  his  glowing  appeals  and  his  unanswerable  argu 
ments  in  reference  to  the  importance,  value,  feasibi 
lity,  and  glory  of  the  proposed  expedition,  whereby, 
as  he  confidently  anticipated,  the  lost  navigators 
would  be  found,  and  the  whole  civilized  world 
would  ring  with  acclamations  and  plaudits  of  Ame- 


*  See  Arctic  Explorations :  The  Second  Grinnell  Expedition  in  Search 
of  Sir  John  Franklin;  in  1853,  '54,  '55,  by  E.  K.  Kane,  M.D.,  U.S.N., 
vol.  i.  pp.  15,  16. 

7* 


78  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

rican  heroism,  valor,  and  philanthropy,  which  alone 
had  been  able  to  deliver  the  lost  navigators  from 
their  icy  prison :  they  listened,  promised  assistance 
turned  away,  and  forgot  all  about  it.  The  truth 
probably  was,  that  Dr.  Kane  would  not  and  did  not 
deceive,  bribe,  feed,  and  liquor  extensively  enough 
to  engage  the  serious  co-operation  of  the  mercenary 
and  sensual  legislators  of  the  people  ;  and  therefore 
all  his  exertions  in  that  quarter  ended  in  total  fail 
ure.  The  only  result  of  his  efforts  at  the  seat  of  the 
Federal  Government  was  the  acquisition  of  severa 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  materials  for  outfit  from 
the  Medical  Bureau  at  Washington.  Nor  can  any 
intelligent  observer  fail  to  appreciate  the  moral,  as 
well  as  the  historical  and  personal,  grandeur  which 
characterized  the  great  object  of  Dr.  Kane's  intense 
efforts, — the  rescue  of  Sir  John  Franklin.  Ten 
years  had  elapsed  since  the  last  recorded  date  of  his 
destiny  was  known  until  the  commencement  of  Dr. 
Kane's  second  expedition ;  and  yet  he  never  doubted 
for  a  moment  that  even  then  some  of  that  lost  com 
pany  still  survived.  He  based  this  conviction  on 
the  fact  that  the  expedition  of  Franklin  had  been 
amply  provided  with  every  possible  convenience 
and  means  of  support ;  that  animal  life  can  always 
be  sustained  in  the  Arctic  clime  to  some  extent  by 
animal  food  procured  by  hunting;  that  the  utmost 


ELISHA  KENT  KANE.  79 

extremes  of  cold  need  not  destroy  human  existence 
with  the  protection  and  succor  which  art  and  skilful 
seamanship  could  afford ;  and  that  Sir  John  Frank 
lin  was  himself  one  of  the  ahlest,  most  sagacious, 
and  most  experienced  of  all  the  navigators  who  had 
ever  invaded  the  Arctic  seas.  In  view  of  these  consi 
derations,  Dr.  Kane  was  enthusiastic  on  the  subject 
of  his  possible  rescue ;  and  even  in  his  dreams,  and 
often  in  his  waking  hours,  he  seemed  to  hear  the 
feeble  and  melancholy  moans  of  the  imprisoned  and 
ice-bound  wanderers,  appealing  to  him,  from  far 
across  the  frozen  wastes,  to  hasten  to  their  rescue 
while  life  yet  lingered  within  their  shivering  and 
emaciated  frames.  Urged  on  by  such  inducements, 
with  which  there  was  also  confessedly  mingled  that 
honorable  ambition  for  distinction  and  eminence 
which  burns  within  every  noble  breast,  and  is  one 
of  the  chief  mainsprings  of  whatever  achievements 
have  ever  promoted  the  glory  and  felicity  of  our 
race,  Dr.  Kane  completed  all  his  arrangements,  and 
prepared  to  enter  upon  his  second  and  last  Arctic 
expedition. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 
DR.  KANE'S  SECOND  ARCTIC  EXPEDITION. 

DR.  KANE  received  the  official  order  from  the 
Secretary  of  the  Navy  to  conduct  his  second  Arctic 
expedition,  in  December,  1852.  During  several 
months  previous  to  this  event  he  had  been  actively 
engaged  in  planning  a  scheme  and  in  elaborating 
details  which  might  be  successfully  carried  out  in 
the  further  and  more  thorough  exploration  of  the 
Polar  zone.  He  condensed  the  results  of  his  re 
searches  in  an  able  lecture,  which  he  delivered  before 
the  American  Geographical  and  Statistical  Society 
on  the  14th  of  December,  1852,  upon  the  "Access  to 
an  Open  Polar  Sea  in  Connection  with  the  Search  after 
Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  Companions."  This  pro 
duction  is  one  of  marked  ability.  It  displays  great 
learning,  research,  and  acuteness,  and  evinces  an 
unusual  degree  of  familiarity  with  geographical  and 
meteorological  science,  with  natural  history  and 
philosophy.  He  assumed  the  position  that  there 
was  probably  an  unexplored  extension  of  the  land- 
masses  of  Greenland  toward  the  extreme  north; 
80 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  .        81 

that  Greenland  was  not  a  collection  of  islands  con 
nected  together  by  interior  glaciers,  as  was  gene 
rally  supposed,  but  a  great  peninsula  stretching 
northward,  whose  formation  was  governed  by  the 
same  laws  which  moulded  other  peninsulas  having 
a  southern  inclination  and  direction ;  and  that  upon 
the  remoter  outskirts  of  that  peninsula  the  traces  of 
the  remains  of  the  lost  navigators  were  still  most 
probably  to  be  found. 

Dr.  Kane  based  these  conclusions  upon  the  follow 
ing  satisfactory  premises.  The  alternating  altitudes 
of  the  mountain-ranges  of  Greenland  through  an 
extent  of  eleven  hundred  miles  proved  that  Green 
land  must  approach  nearer  to  the  Pole  than  any 
other  portion  of  the  earth.  This  would  enable  the 
explorer  to  travel  on  terra  firma  northward  instead 
of  adventuring  over  the  constant  fields  of  frozen  sea. 
The  fan-like  abutment  of  land  already  known  to 
exist  on  the  north  face  of  Greenland  would  check 
the  ice  in  the  progress  of  its  southern  drift;  thus 
furnishing  greater  facilities  for  advancing  toward 
the  Pole  than  was  afforded  by  the  Spitzbergen  Sea, 
as  attempted  by  Parry.  This  route  would  also  furnish 
some  additional  means  of  subsistence  from  animal 
life,  and  some  aid  and  co-operation  from  the  Esqui 
maux,  who  dwelt  along  the  coast  as  far  north  as 

Whale  Sound, 
p 


82  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

The  rules  which  Dr.  Kane  adopted  for  the  control 
of  the  expedition  were  comprehensive  and  peculiar. 
They  required  absolute  subordination  to  the  com- 
inander  or  his  delegate,  abstinence  from  the  use  of 
intoxicating  drinks,  and  the  habitual  disuse  of 
profane  language.  The  vessel  placed  under  his 
control  was  the  Advance,  in  which  he  had  sailed  on 
the  previous  expedition,  and  which  was  furnished 
by  the  Government,  and  by  the  munificence  of 
private  friends,  with  the  necessary  equipments.  His 
crew  consisted  of  seventeen  persons.  Henry  Brooks 
was  the  first  officer,  Dr.  Isaac  I.  Hayes  the  surgeon, 
Augustus  Sontag  the  astronomer.  The  men  of 
chief  mark  among  the  crew  were  William  Morton, 
Amos  Bonsall,  Christian  Ohlsen,  and  James 
McGary. 

Having  made  all  the  necessary  preparations,  Dr. 
Kane  sailed  from  the  port  of  New  York  on  the  30th 
of  May,  1853.  In  eighteen  days  he  reached  New 
foundland,  and  thence  he  boldly  steered  his  adven 
turous  craft  for  the  coast  of  Greenland.  On  the  1st 
of  July  he  entered  the  obscure  harbor  of  Fiskernaes, 
where  he  and  his  officers  became  the  guests  of  Mr. 
Lassen,  the  Danish  governor.  Here  he  procured  a 
large  supply  of  fresh  provisions,  and  a.dded  an  Esqui 
maux,  named  Hans,  to  the  number  of  his  crew. 

Sailing  along  the   rugged  coast  of  Lower  and 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  83 

Middle  Greenland,  our  explorer  reached  Wileox 
Point,  in  the  extremity  of  Melville  Bay,  on  the  27th 
of  July.  He  navigated  safely  through  the  floating 
and  drifting  ice  which,  even  in  the  middle  of  sum 
mer,  already  encumbered  that  bay ;  and  passed  the 
Crimson  Cliffs,  thus  fitly  named  by  Sir  John  Ross, 
on  the  5th  of  August.  On  the  7th,  leaving  Cape 
Alexander  behind  him,  he  entered  Smith's  Sound. 
In  pursuing  his  northward  journey  he  made  Force 
Bay  and  Grinnell  Cape.  When  off  Godsend  Ledge 
a  furious  tempest  arose,  which  shook  the  icy  masses 
and  rolling  mountains  of  that  zone  to  their  centre, 
and  lashed  the  half-frozen  sea  into  tumultuous  fury. 
The  Advance  had  been  prudently  attached  to  an 
immense  berg  by  three  hawsers;  and,  all  things 
being  made  snug  on  board  the  little  brig,  it  was 
hoped  that  she  would  safely  outride  the  gale.  But 
so  prodigious  was  the  violence  of  the  storm  that 
the  six-inch  hawser  in  a  short  time  snapped  with  a 
loud  twanging  sound,  which  rose  even  above  the 
roaring  of  the  wind.  Soon  a  second  report  of  a 
similar  nature  followed,  and  the  whale-line  parted. 
A  ten-inch  manilla  yet  remained,  which  seemed 
to  be  their  only  protector  against  certain  destruc 
tion.  For  a  time  it  struggled  nobly  against  the 
tremendous  strain.  The  crew  could  hear  its  deep 
melodious  chant  renewed  from  time  to  time  as  it 


84  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

resisted  the  mighty  pressure,  and  held  the  vessel 
with  the  grasp  of  an  Atlas  firmly  to  her  icy  moor 
ings.  In  vain  the  whole  power  of  Eolus  seemed  to 
have  been  let  loose  from  his  resounding  caverns 
in  order  *to  overcome  the  strength  of  the  line.  But 
the  angry  wind-god,  was  destined  at  length  to  con 
quer.  At  first  a  single  strand  gave  way,  with  a 
loud  report.  Then  followed  a  second,  and  a  third; 
until  at  last  the  line  parted  entirely,  and  the  brig 
drifted  away,  almost  with  the  velocity  of  lightning, 
with  the  rushing  and  tumultuous  current  of  the  ice- 
covered  deep.  The  utmost  skill  was  necessary  to 
save  the  vessel  from  instant  ruin ;  and  never  was 
better  seamanship  displayed  than  by  that  little  crew 
and  their  gallant  commander  in  that  great  peril.  Their 
efforts  were  successful.  After  passing  safely  through 
many  close  shaves, — so  close  indeed  that  sometimes 
it  was  necessary  to  take  in  the  quarter-boat  from  its 
davits, — they  reached  a  secure  position  under  the 
lee  of  a  lofty  berg,  in  an  open  and  tranquil  lead, 
protected  by  its  towering  and  colossal  mass. 

On  the  23d  of  August  Dr.  Kane  had  reached  78° 
41' ;  and  in  this  position  he  was  farther  north  than 
any  of  his  predecessors  had  been,  except  Captain 
Parry  on  his  celebrated  Spitzbergen  foot-journey. 
His  progress  was  now  much  impeded  by  the  ice, 
which  was  becoming  more  and  more  consolidated ; 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  85 

and  this  difficulty  led  some  of  tlie  boldest  men  of 
the  expedition  to  question  the  propriety  of  advancing 
farther  north  until  the  ensuing  spring,  and  led 
them  to  think  that  the  brig  should  be  immediately 
put  into  winter  quarters  in  the  position  which  she 
then  occupied.  Dr.  Kane  at  once  called  a  formal 
council  and  listened  to  their  views.  He  then  in 
formed  them  that  it  was  his  purpose  to  secure  a 
position,  if  possible,  which  would  be  more  favorable 
for  the  sledge-journeys  which  he  intended  to  send 
out  in  different  directions  from  the  brig ;  and  that 
as  soon  as  that  position  was  attained  he  would  put 
the  brig  into  winter  quarters.  The  crew  at  once 
acquiesced  in  the  determination  of  the  commander, 
and  proceeded  to  carry  out  his  plan  of  operation. 

The  first  sledge-journey  in  which  the  men  of  the 
expedition  engaged  was  made  in  the  "Forlorn 
Hope,"  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the  adjacent 
coast  and  ascertaining  the  best  position  for  winter 
ing.  After  laboriously  travelling  for  five  days  they 
were  forty  miles  in  a  direct  line  from  the  brig; 
although  their  circuitous  route  had  been  much 
longer:  yet,  after  a  careful  examination  of  every 
accessible  point,  Dr.  Kane  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  none  of  them  offered  as  great  advantages  for 
the  purpose  of  wintering  as  the  bay  in  which  he 
had  left  the  Advance.  lie  accordingly  returned  to 


86  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

the  brig  and  announced  to  the  crew  his  determina 
tion  not  to  remove  the  vessel.  She  was  destined 
never  again  to  leave  that  spot;  and  there  she  pro 
bably  remains  to  this  day,  buried  among  the  accu 
mulating  and  consolidated  ice  of  that  far-distant 
and  inhospitable  zone. 

Dr.  Kane  at  once  set  his  crew  to  work  to  prepare 
the  vessel  for  the  winter,  which  was  rapidly  ap 
proaching.  On  the  10th  of  September  the  ice 
around  her  had  become  so  thick  that  it  bore  the 
pressure  of  the  men.  The  contents  of  the  hold 
were  removed  and  deposited  in  the  storehouse  on 
Butler  Island.  The  provisions  were  so  disposed  of 
as  to  render  them  more  enduring  and  better  pre 
served.  A  deck-house  was  constructed  upon  the 
vessel,  which  increased  her  accommodations.  The 
site  for  an  observatory  was  selected,  and  a  com 
mencement  made  for  its  construction.  This  was 
placed  on  a  rocky  inlet  situated  about  a  hundred 
yards  from  the  brig.  Dr.  Kane  named  it  Fern 
Rock ;  and  it  was  the  scene  of  many  of  his  labori- 
>us  scientific  researches  and  experiments.  Four 
•rails  of  granite  blocks  were  erected,  cemented  to 
gether  by  moss  and  water  which  became  frozen. 
Over  these  walls  a  substantial  wooden  roof  was 
laid.  On  pedestals  made  of  conglomerated  gravel 
and  ice,  which  were  perfectly  free  from  all  vibra- 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  87 

tion,  the  transit  and  theodolite  were  placed.  A 
magnetic  observatory  was  built  near  at  hand.  It 
was  also  constructed  of  stone,  was  ten  feet  square, 
was  furnished  with  a  wooden  floor  and  roof;  and 
here  were  collected  the  magnetometer  and  dip-in 
struments.  The  meteorological  observatory  was 
situated  a  hundred  and  forty  yards  from  the  brig, 
on  the  open  ice-field.  It  was  a  wooden  structure, 
latticed  and  pierced  with  auger-holes  on  all  sides. 
The  thermometers  were  here  suspended.  By  the 
20th  of  September  all  the  preparations  for  winter 
had  been  completed ;  and  without  any  loss  of  time 
Dr.  Kane  sent  forth  his  first  depot-party,  for  the 
purpose  of  depositing  provisions  at  a  suitable  place 
northward,  to  be  used  in  his  subsequent  expeditions 
of  research  and  exploration.  This  company  con 
sisted  of  seven  men.  led  by  McGary  and  Bonsall. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

EESEAKCHES  AND  ADVENTURES  NEAR  THE  POLE. 

THE  first  dep6t-party  sent  out  by  Dr.  Kane  had 
been  absent  twenty  days,  when  he  thought  it  proper, 
and  even  necessary,  to  go  in  search  of  them,  appre 
hending  that  they  might  have  met  some  serious 
accident.  He  did  so,  accompanied  by  a  single  per 
son,  travelling  on  a  sledge  drawn  by  Newfoundland 
dogs.  During  the  progress  of  this  trip  he  was  once 
precipitated  with  the  dogs  and  sledge  into  the  water, 
having  failed  to  cross  a  chasm  in  the  ice  of  more 
than  usual  width.  Dr.  Kane  succeeded  by  great 
exertions  in  rescuing  his  dogs  and  his  companion 
from  a  watery  grave ;  but  the  danger  of  death  to  all  of 
them  was  imminent.  The  party  made  twenty  miles 
a  day,  sleeping  at  night  on  the  solid  ice-fields.  At 
length,  on  the  15th,  Dr.  Kane  perceived  in  the 
distance  a  mysterious  object  moving  slowly  on  the 
ice.  It  eventually  proved  to  be  the  returning  dep6t- 
party.  They  had  been  absent  from  the  brig  twenty- 
eight  days,  had  averaged  eighteen  miles  of  travel 
per  day,  and  had  constructed  the  depots  of  provi- 

88 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  89 

sions  in  accordance  with  the  orders  which  they  had 
received  before  starting.  During  their  journey  the 
party  had  met  with  some  singular  adventures.  On 
one  occasion,  at  midnight,  while  encamped  on  the 
frozen  ice-field,  the  ice  suddenly  cracked  directly 
beneath  them ;  a  large  fissure  opened ;  the  ice  around 
them  gradually  broke  into  fragments;  and  it  was 
only  by  rapidly  taking  possession  of  one  of  the  largest 
pieces  and  rowing  with  it  to  the  main  ice  that  they 
escaped  destruction.  They  ultimately  reached  lati 
tude  79°  50'.  During  their  progress  they  buried 
eight  hundred  pounds  of  provisions,  for  the  future 
use  of  the  expedition.  They  then  returned  to  the  brig. 
The  rigors  of  an  Arctic  winter  now  increased 
around  them.  It  required  the  utmost  prudence  on 
the  part  of  the  adventurers  to  enable  them  to  endure 
the  intense  cold.  -  Notwithstanding  all  this,  Dr.  Kane 
continued  his  astronomical  and  scientific  experi 
ments  in  his  observatories;  and  their  results  were 
afterward  appended  to  the  published  journal  of  the 
expedition.  Sometimes  the  thermometer  stood  at 
seventy-five  degrees  below  zero  in  the  external  air. 
At  this  prodigiously  cold  temperature  chloric  ether 
became  solid,  and  chloroform  displayed  a  granular 
pellicle  on  its  surface.  Human  nature  could  scarcely 
endure  a  greater  intensity  of  cold  than  this. 

Unbroken  darkness  now  prevailed  throughout  the 

8* 


90  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

day  and  night.  The  first  glimpses  of  returning 
light  were  not  seen  until  the  21st  of  January.  The 
period  for  active  labors  again  approached.  On  the 
19th  of  March,  all  the  necessary  preparations  having 
been  completed,  the  first  sledge-party  was  sent  out 
to  prepare  the  way  for  future  explorations.  They 
had  been  absent  for  some  days,  pursuing  their 
perilous  journey  northward,  when  suddenly  Dr. 
Kane,  who  remained  in  the  vessel,  was  surprised  by 
the  return  of  a  portion  of  the  party ;  who,  nearly 
overcome  by  the  intense  cold,  had  left  their  com 
rades  in  a  perilous  condition  forty  miles  distant  from 
the  brig,  lying  almost  frozen  to  death  upon  the  ice. 
There  was  not  a  moment  to  be  lost.  Dr.  Kane 
immediately  went  to  work  to  collect  the  means  of 
immediate  relief,  and  started  out  in  search  of  the 
wanderers  with  a  party  of  nine  men.  The  ther 
mometer  stood  at  seventy-eight  degrees  below  the 
freezing-point.  The  prodigious  intensity  of  the  cold 
overcame  with  trembling  fits  and  with  shortness  of 
breath  the  strongest  and  stoutest  of  the  party.  For 
eighteen  hours  they  travelled 'without  water  or  food. 
The  least  application  of  snow  to  the  mouth  instantly 
produced  a  flow  of  blood,  as  if  it  had  been  touched 
by  caustic.  After  a  continuous  march  of  twenty- 
one  hours,  the  relief-party  reached  the  tent  of  the 
four  absent  men.  They  were  found  lying  on  their 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  91 

backs  upon  the  ice  within  it,  in  complete  darkness, 
and  calmly  awaiting  the  approach  of  relief  or  death. 
After  a  short  delay  the  return-march  to  the  brig  was 
commenced.  The  disabled  men  were  carried  on  a 
sledge.  During  six  hours  the  men  pulled  away 
vigorously.  At  length  the  cold  gradually  overcame 
them,  and  they  halted.  They  were  all  so  weakened 
and  benumbed  as  to  be  unable  to  strike  a  fire.  The 
whiskey  froze  in  its  can  as  hard  as  granite.  That 
dreamy  lethargic  state  which  is  always  a  fearful 
precursor  of  approaching  death  gradually  began  to 
steal  over  them.  They  all  wished  to  stop  and  be 
permitted  to  sleep.  Had  they  then  slept,  they  had 
assuredly  known  no  waking.  Not  all  the  ominous 
knocking  which  resounded  through  the  halls  of  the 
aspiring  Macbeth- while  the  royal  Duncan  lay  mur 
dered  upon  his  couch, 

"  His  silver  skin  laced  with  his  golden  blood," 

could  have  aroused  them  to  life  again.  Dr.  Kane 
therefore  gave  peremptory  orders  to  proceed.  Man 
fully  they  labored  to  obey;  and  the  commander  him 
self  led  the  way,  with  the  intention  of  reaching  the 
half-way  tent  and  preparing  it  for  the  reception  of 
the  party.  He  was  there  able  to  melt  water  and 
prepare  some  soup  for  them  on  their  arrival.  Dr. 
Kane's  beard  on  this  occasion  was  frozen  fast  to  his 


92  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

buffalo-skin,  and  could  only  be  released  by  cutting 
it.  At  last,  after  a  perilous  march  of  many  hours, 
the  whole  party  reached  the  brig  alive ;  but  some 
of  the  men  had  become  delirious,  some  suffered 
from  strabismus  and  blindness,  two  were  afterward 
compelled  to  undergo  amputation  of  the  toes,  and 
two  others  eventually  died,  in  consequence  of  their 
terrible  exposure.  Very  few  adventures  connected 
with  the  whole  range  of  Arctic  exploration  surpass 
the  experiences  of  this  remarkable  expedition;  or 
exhibit  a  greater  power  of  physical  endurance  or 
mental  strength  than  were  displayed  by  Dr.  Kane 
and  some  of  his  associates. 

On  the  25th  of  April  another  sledge-journey  was 
undertaken.  The  short  season  of  travel  in  that 
frozen  zone  would  soon  be  terminated;  and  it  was 
necessary  to  make  good  use  of  the  transient  interval 
that  remained.  This  journey  was  intended  to  reach 
the  extreme  limits  of  the  shore  of  Greenland,  and  to 
explore,  if  possible,  the  mysteries  which  lay  beyond 
the  termination  of  the  terra  firma.  The  line  of  travel 
pursued  was  in  accordance  with  this  purpose.  In 
the  progress  of  this  expedition  Dr.  Kane,  among 
other  interesting  observations,  discovered  the  Great 
Humboldt  Glacier.  This  proved  to  be  one  of  the 
most  magnificent  and  sublime  objects  in  nature.  It 
presents  a  shining  wall  of  ice  three  hundred  feet  in 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  93 

height,  frowning  over  the  frozen  sea  below,  and  ex 
tends  its  immense  masses  along  an  unbroken 'front 
of  sixty  miles.  It  is  the  great  crystal  bridge  which 
has  for  ages  connected  together  the  two  continents 
of  America  and  Greenland,  and  it  recedes  to  the 
interior  from  the  sea  through  unknown  and  un 
measured  limits.  Vast  crevasses  appeared  in  the 
sides  of  the  glacierlike  mere  wrinkles.  These  grew 
larger  as  they  descended  to  the  sea,  where  they 
expanded  into  gigantic  stairways.  The  appearance 
of  this  stupendous  wonder  of  nature  resembled  in 
some  respects  the  frozen  masses  of  the  Alps,  and  re 
minded  the  bold  adventurer  of  many  scenes  which 
he  had  witnessed  in  the  mountains  of  Switzerland. 
The  configuration  of  the  surface  and  form  of  this 
glacier  clearly  indicate  that  its  inequalities  closely 
follow  those  of  the  rocky  soil  on  which  it  reposes. 

On  the  4th  of  June  another  party  was  sent  out  by 
Dr.  Kane,  for  the  purpose  of  further  exploration. 
It  was  placed  under  the  command  of  "William  Mor 
ton  ;  and  it  had  been  fortunate  for  Dr.  Kane  had  he 
accompanied  it,  inasmuch  as  it  resulted  in  an  extra 
ordinary  discovery,  which  possesses  unequalled  im 
portance  and  interest.  His  recent  exposure  and 
exhausting  labors  with  the  previous  party,  however, 
rendered  it  necessary  that  the  commander  should 
recruit  himself  by  remaining  with  the  brig. 


94  ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  having  encamped,  Morton 
ascended  a  lofty  berg,  in  order  to  examine  their 
future  route  and  survey  the  surrounding  desolation. 
From  this  point  he  beheld  an  extensive  plain  which 
stretched  away  toward  the  north,  which  proved  to 
be  the  Great  Glacier  of  Humboldt,  as  it  appeared 
toward  the  interior,  which  also  fronted  on  the  bay. 
From  this  point  the  advance  of  the  party  was  perilous. 
They  were  frequently  arrested  by  'wide  and  deep 
fissures  in  the  ice.  This  difficulty  compelled  them 
to  turn  toward  the  west.  Some  of  these  chasms 
were  four  feet  wide  and  contained  water  at  the 
bottom.  From  this  point  they  beheld  the  distant 
northern  shore,  termed  the  "West  Land."  Its  ap 
pearance  was  mountainous  and  rolling.  Its  distance 
from  them  seemed  to  be  about  sixty  miles. 

At  length,  by  the  21st  of  June,  the  party  attained 
a  point  opposite  the  termination  of  the  Great  Glacier. 
It  appeared  to  be  mixed  with  earth  and  rocks. 
Travelling  on,  they  reached  the  head  of  Kennedy 
Channel,  and  saw  far  beyond  it  the  open  water. 
Passing  in  their  route  a  cape,  they  called  it  Cape 
Andrew  Jackson.  Here  they  found  good  smooth 
ice;  for  during  the  last  few  days  they  had  toiled 
over  rotten  ice,  which  not  unfrequently  threatened 
to  break  beneath  them.  Having  entered  the  curve 
of  a  bay,  they  named  it  after  Robert  Morris,  the 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  95 

great  financier  of  the  Kevolution.*  On  the  smooth 
ice  in  this  vicinity  the  party  advanced  at  the  rate  of 
six  miles  per  hour. 

Kennedy  Channel  here  grew  narrower,  but  after 
ward  it  widened  again.  Broken  ice  in  large  masses 
was  floating  in  it ;  but  there  were  passages  fifteen 
miles  in  width,  which  remained  perfectly  clear.  Six 
miles  inward  from  the  channel,  mountains  rose  to 
the  view.  On  the  22d  of  June  they  encamped,  after 
having  travelled  forty-eight  miles  in  a  direct  line. 
They  were  still  upon  the  shores  of  the  channel. 
They  could  plainly  see  the  opposite  coast,  which 
appeared  precipitous  and  surmounted  with  sugar- 
loaf  shaped  mountains.  At  this  part  of  their  journey 
they  encountered  a  Polar  bear,  with  her  cub.  A 
desperate  fight  ensued,  in  which  the  singular  in 
stincts  of  nature  were  strikingly  illustrated  by  the 
desperate  efforts  made  by  the  poor  brute  to  protect 
her  helpless  offspring.  Both  were  slain.  A  shallow 
bay  covered  with  ice  was  then  crossed.  They  passed 
several  islands  which  lay  in  the  channel,  which  they 
named  after  Sir  John  Franklin  and  Captain  Crozier. 
The  cliffs  which  here  constituted  the  shore  of  the 
channel  were  very  high,  towering  at  least  two  thou 
sand  feet  above  its  surface.  The  party  attempted  to 

*  An  intimate  friend  of  one  of  the  ancestors  of  Dr.  Kane :  vide 
chapter  first,  of  this  volume. 


96  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

ascend  these  clifls,  but  found  it  impossible  to  mount 
more  than  a  few  hundred  feet.  On  the  highest  point 
which  they  attained  a  walking-pole  was  fastened, 
with  the  Grinnell  flag  of  the  Antarctic  attached  to  it ; 
and  thus  for  an  hour  and  a  half  this  standard  was 
permitted  to  wave  over  the  highest  northern  region 
of  the  earth  ever  attained  by  the  foot  of  man. 

They  here  encountered  a  cape ;  and  the  party  de 
sired  to  pass  around  it,  in  order  to  ascertain  whether 
there  lay  any  unknown  land  beyond.  But  they 
found  it  impossible  to  advance.  This,  then,  was  the 
utmost  limit,  the  ultima  thule  of  their  journey  toward 
the  Pole.  Morton  ascended  an  eminence  here  and 
carefully  scrutinized  the  aspects  of  nature  around 
him.  Six  degrees  toward  the  west  of  north  he  ob 
served  a  lofty  peak,  truncated  in  its  form  and  about 
three  thousand  feet  in  height.  This  elevation  is 
named  Mount  Edward  Parry,  after  the  great  pio 
neer  of  Arctic  adventure,  and  is  the  most  extreme 
northern  point  of  land  known  to  exist  upon  the 
globe.  From  the  position  which  Morton  had  at 
tained,  he  beheld  toward  the  north,  from  an  elevation 
of  four  hundred  feet,  a  boundless  waste  of  waters 
stretching  away  toward  the  Pole.  Not  a  particle  of 
ice  encumbered  its  surface.  He  now  heard  the  multi 
tudinous  murmur  of  unfrozen  waves,  and  beheld  a 
rolling  surf,  like  that  of  more  genial  climes,  rushing 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  97 

and  dashing  against  the  rocks  upon  the  shore.  This 
was  certainly  a  mysterious  phenomenon.  Here  was  a 
fluid  sea  in  the  midst  of  whole  continents  of  ice ; 
and  that  sea  seemed  to  lave  the  Pole  itself.  The 
eye  of  the  explorer  surveyed  at  least  forty  miles  of 
uninterrupted  water  in  a  northern  direction.  The 
point  thus  reached  in  this  exploring  expedition  was 
about  five  hundred  miles  distant  from  the  Pole. 
Had  the  party  been  able  to  convey  thither  a  boat, 
they  might  have  embarked  upon  the  bright  and 
placid  waters  of  that  lonely  ocean.  But,  having  been 
able  to  make  this  journey  only  with  the  sledge, 
further  explorations  were  of  course  impossible.  The 
most  remarkable  development  connected  with  this 
discovery  was  that  the  temperature  was  here  found 
to  be  much  more  moderate  than  that  farther  south. 
Marine  birds  sailed  through  the  heavens.  Eippling 
waves  followed  each  other  on  the  surface  of  the 
deep.  A  few  stunted  flowers  grew  over  the  barren 
and  rocky  coast.  The  inference  which  may  be  drawn 
from  these  and  other  facts  is,  that  this  open  sea, 
termed  the  Polar  Basin,  stretches  to  the  Pole  itself; 
or  at  least  continues  a  great  distance  until  its  course 
is  interrupted  by  other  projections  of  the  terra  firma. 
These  are  mysterious  inquiries,  still  the  great  deside 
rata  of  Arctic  travel;  which  will  remain  unanswered 
until  some  more  successful  adventurer,  gifted  with 

(1  9 


98  ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

greater  physical  endurance,  and  furnished  with  more 
abundant  facilities  than  any  of  his  predecessors, 
shall  persist  .in  defiance  of  every  impediment  in 
advancing  until  he  boldly  plants  his  foot  upon  the 
mysterious  spot  now  termed  the  North  Pole,  and  then 
succeeds  in  making  his  escape. 

The  several  parties  which  had  been  sent  forth 
by  Dr.  Kane  to  explore  the  regions  just  described 
having  returned,  the  season  of  Arctic  travel  was 
nearly  terminated,  and  the  members  of  the  expedi 
tion  were  about  to  relapse  again  into  winter  quarters, 
with  their  usual  darkness,  monotony,  and  gloom. 
But,  before  resigning  themselves  entirely  to  this  un 
welcome  seclusion,  Dr.  Kane  resolved  to  make  an 
effort  to  reach  Beechey  Island.  At  this  point  Sir 
Edward  Belcher's  squadron  was  then  supposed  to  be 
stationed;  and  from  them  the  American  explorers 
might  obtain  both  provisions  and  information.  Ac 
cordingly,  Dr.  Kane  manned  his  boat,  called  the 
"Forlorn  Hope,"  which  was  twenty-three  feet  long 
and  six  feet  and  a  half  beam.  The  necessary  amount 
of  provisions  was  placed  on  board,  and  the  bold 
venture  was  undertaken.  Sometimes  the  boat  was 
navigated  through  the  unfrozen  channels  cf  water 
which  intervened  between  the  floes  of  ice ;  at  other 
times  she  was  placed  on  a  large  sledge  called  the 
"Faith,"  and  thus  transported  over  the  frozen  wastes. 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  99 

This  party  approached  Littleton  Island,  which  had 
been  visited  by  Captain  Inglefield.  They  here  ob 
tained  a  vast  quantity  of  eider-ducks.  They  then 
passed  Flagstaff  Point  and  Combermere  Cape.  Then 
came  Cape  Isabella  and  Cape  Frederick  VII.  On 
the  23d  of  July  they  reached  Hakluyt  Island ;  and 
thence  they  steered  for  the  Cary  Islands.  But  on  the 
31st  of  July,  when  they  had  reached  a  point  but  ten 
miles  distant  from  Cape  Parry,  their  further  progress 
was  absolutely  stopped.  A  solid  mass  of  ice  lay 
before  them  on  the  sea,  extending  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach.  This  barrier  was  composed  of  the  vast 
seas  of  ice  which  had  drifted  through  Jones'  Sound 
on  the  west  and  those  of  Murchison's  on  the  east. 
The  adventurers  were  now  compelled  to  retrace  their 
way.  About  the  1st  of  August  they  regained  the 
brig,  without  having  met  with  any  accident,  but  also 
without  having  succeeded  in  attaining  the  object  of 
their  excursion.  They  found  the  "Advance"  just 
as  tightly  wedged  into  the  ice  as  she  had  been  during 
the  preceding  eleven  months,  with  no  hope  of  getting 
her  speedily  released.* 

*  See  the  "Arctic  Explorations  and  Discoveries  in  the  Nineteenth 
Century,"  by  Samuel  M.  Smucker,  published  by  Miller,  Orton  &  Co., 
New  York,  1856,  page  486. 


CHAPTEE  X. 

CONCLUDING   LABORS  AND  RETURN  OF  THE  EXPEDITION. 

ON  the  24th  of  August  an  important  crisis  occured 
in  the  history  of  the  expedition.  The  period  had 
arrived  when  it  became  necessary  to  determine 
whether  the  officers  and  crew  would  attempt  an  im 
mediate  escape  from  the  Polar  regions,  or  whether 
they  would  venture  to  remain  in  their  icy  exile  during 
another  winter.  The  latter  alternative  was  by  no 
means  inviting;  and  when  the  commander  sum 
moned  all  hands  to  a  general  consultation,  he  stated 
at  length  the  considerations  which  had  induced  him 
to  resolve  upon  remaining.  He  showed  them  how 
an  attempt  to  escape  by  the  open  water  would  be 
both  dangerous  and  unsuccessful;  yet  at  the  same 
time  he  gave  his  permission  to  all  who  might  wish 
to  make  the  experiment.  The  roll  was  called,  and 
each  man  was  allowed  to  answer  for  himself.  Eight 
out  of  seventeen  decided  to  remain  by  the  brig, 
which  was  still  immovably  frozen  in  the  ice.  To 
those  who  expressed  a  desire  to  return  immediately, 

Dr.  Kane  allotted  their  due  proportion  of  provisions, 
100 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  101 

and  other  conveniences;  and  he  also  gave  them 
(what  they  did  not  deserve)  a  written  assurance  that, 
should  they  be  driven  back  by  their  trials  and 
dangers,  they  would  receive  a  hearty  welcome.  They 
started  forth  from  the  brig  on  the  28th;  but  long 
before  the  remaining  members  of  the  expedition 
concluded  their  labors,  in  the  succeeding  December, 
they  all  returned  again  to  the  vessel. 

Those  who  remained  began  immediately  to  pre 
pare  for  the  rigors  of  the  approaching  winter.  By 
the  21st  of  October  the  light  of  the  sun  no  more 
illumined  with  its  feeble  rays  that  frozen  realm ;  and 
they  resigned  themselves  to  the  cheerless  darkness 
of  an  Arctic  night,  and  to  the  confined  precincts  of 
their  gloomy  cabin.  Thus  November,  December, 
January,  February  gloomily  wore  away:  Christmas 
and  New  Year  were  celebrated  a  second  time  by 
these  gallant  heroes,  with  the  thermometer  fifty 
degrees  below  zero,  with  the  best  means  which  they 
could  command,  which  were  indeed  limited. 

Our  limits  prevent  us  from  describing  with  any 
minuteness  many  of  the  incidents  which  character 
ized,  and  sometimes  enlivened  or  saddened,  the 
life  of  Dr.  Kane,  during  the  leaden  progress  of  this 
third  and  last  winter  which  he  was  destined  to  spend 
in  the  Arctic  regions.  An  occasional  excursion  from 
the  brig  in  search  of  food,  a  fight  with  a  bear,  an 

9* 


102  ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

attack  upon  a  walrus,  or  the  capture  of  a  seal,  con 
stituted  the  chief  external  incidents  of  his  exile. 
The  majority  of  the  men  became  afflicted  with 
disease;  some  were  confined  to  their  berths  with 
lameness ;  stiff  joints,  sore  gums,  purpuric  blotches, 
severe  scurvy,  swelled  limbs,  and  frozen  feet,  were 
the  particular  afflictions  to  which  they  were  sub 
jected.  This  state  of  things  continued  until  the 
beginning  of  April ;  and  during  the  long  intervening 
interval  the  chief  labor  of  Dr.  Kane  was  devoted  to 
the  preservation  of  his  life  and  that  of  his  associates. 
"With  the  approach  of  spring  their  attention  was 
naturally  directed  to  their  preparations  for  escape 
and  their  return  to  the  confines  of  civilization. 
Daylight  slowly  began  to  dawn.  One  of  the  most 
exciting  incidents  of  this  period  was  the  recapture 
of  the  deserter  Godfrey.*  He  had  left  the  brig  and 
wandered  to  the  small  Esquimaux  settlement  termed 
Etah,  on  Hartstene  Bay,  eighty  miles  distant.  With 
his  usual  determination,  Dr.  Kane  made  the  journey 
thither  with  a  dog-sledge,  and  on  his  arrival  boldly 
approached,  arrested,  and  mastered  the  offender,  and 
compelled  him  to  return  with  him  to  the  vessel.  This 
act,  as  much  as  some  of  the  daring  and  notorious 
incidents  of  his  youth  and  early  manhood,  evinced 
the  unusual  intrepidity  of  his  character. 
Before  commencing  his  return  to  the  United  States 


ELISHA  KENT  KANE.  103 

Dr.  Kane  resolved  to  undertake  one  more  expedi 
tion  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the  farther  shores 
beyond  Kennedy  Channel.  This  purpose  was  only  to 
be  accomplished  by  sledges  drawn  by  dogs ;  and  these 
were  now  obtained  from  the  Esquimaux  who  dwelt 
at  Etah.  After  journeying  for  fifty  miles  in  this 
direction,  the  obstacles  presented  by  the  perils  and 
irregularities  of  the  ice  were  found  to  be  insur 
mountable  ;  and  the  party  returned  to  the  brig,  after 
making  the  entire  circuit  of  Dallas  Bay,  and  of  the 
islands  which  group  themselves  between  Advance 
Bay  and  the  base  of  the  Great  Humboldt  Glacier. 

And  now  the  preparations  for  their  return  were 
resumed.  The  manufacture  of  clothing  was  a  pro 
minent  part  of  this  work.  Boots  made  of  carpet 
ing,  with  soles  of  walrus-hide,  body-clothing  made 
out  of  blankets,  sleeping-sacks  constructed  from 
buffalo  robes,  provision-bags  rendered  water-tight 
by  tar  and  pitch, — these  constituted  a  portion  of  the 
labor  of  the  men.  The  ship-bread  was  pounded 
into  powder  and  pressed  into  bags.  Pork-fat  was 
melted  down,  and  then  poured  into  other  bags,  in 
order  to  be  frozen.  Bean-soup  was  cooked  and 
moulded  in  the  same  manner.  The  largest  of  the 
three  boats  which  the  party  were  to  use  in  their 
return,  was  twenty-six  feet  long  and  seven  feet 
beam.  Each  boat  carried  but  one  mast.  The  names 


104  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

of  these  three  craft  were,  the  Red  Eric,  the  Hope, 
and  the  Faith;  and  they  were  mounted  on  sledges, 
for  the  purpose  of  being  conveyed  over  the  ice  where 
navigation  was  impossible.  The  17th  of  May  was 
the  day  appointed  for  the  commencement  of  their 
return  and  for  their  desertion  of  the  ice-bound  and 
immovable  brig.  When  the  designated  time  ar 
rived,  every  preparation  had  been  completed  which 
the  circumstances  of  the  case  permitted.  It  was 
Sunday.  The  entire  ship's  company  were  sum 
moned  into  the  cabin.  The  commander  read  prayers 
and  a  chapter  of  the  Bible.  He  then  addressed  the 
party,  explaining  the  difficulties  and  duties  which 
were  before  them ;  at  the  same  time  assuring  them 
that  he  believed  they  might  all  be  overcome  by  energy 
and  subordination.  He  reminded  them  of  the  perils 
through  which  they  had  already  passed,  and  urged 
them  to  rely  upon  that  great  unseen  Power  which 
had  thus  far  protected  and  sustained  them. 

The  members  of  the  expedition,  after  the  con 
clusion  of  Dr.  Kane's  remarks,  immediately  drew 
up  a  paper,  in  which  they  stated  their  conviction  of 
the  impossibility  of  removing  the  brig  from  her 
solid  bed  of  ice;  the  peril  of  their  attempting  to 
remain  a  third  winter  in  the  Polar  regions;  and 
promising  unqualified  obedience  to  his  commands, 
and  special  attention  to  their  sick  comrades. 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  105 

"When  all  were  ready  to  start  they  went  upon 
deck ;  the  flags  were  hoisted  and  hauled  down  again ; 
the  men  walked  several  times  around  the  vessel, 
taking  a  last  long  look  at  her  hardened  and  battered 
timbers  ;  and  then  all  hands  scrambled  off  over  the 
hummocks  toward  the  boats,  which,  at  a  short  dis 
tance  from  the  brig,  had  already  been  loaded,  and 
prepared  for  the  journey.  Four  of  the  men  were 
invalids,  and  were  conveyed  in  the  boats  by  their 
comrades.  Dr.  Kane  drove  the  dog-team  with  which 
he  proposed  to  return  to  the  vessel  during  the  first  few 
days  of  their  journey  for  additional  supplies  of  food. 
The  men  were  divided  into  parties  and  appropriated 
to  the  service  of  the  several  boats.  The  command 
of  the  boats  and  sledges  was  given  to  the  first  officer 
of  the  expedition,  Mr.  Brooks.  The  men  drew 
their  loads  by  rue-raddies,  which  were  wide  straps 
which  passed  over  one  shoulder  and  under  the  op 
posite  arm,  and  were  connected  by  long  ropes  to  the 
boats. 

The  first  stage  at  which  the  party  halted  was  a 
spot  known  by  the  romantic  epithet  of  "  Anoatok," 
which,  being  interpreted,  means  the  "wind-loved 
spot."  It  was  marked  by  a  single  dilapidated  stone 
hut  which  had  formerly  been  erected  by  the  noma 
dic  Esquimaux.  After  leaving  the  brig  their  progress 
was  at  first  little  more  than  a  mile  a  day,  in  con- 


106  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

sequence  of  the  enfeebled  condition  of  the  men. 
The  sick  were  then  so  drawn  up  by  scurvy  as  to 
be  unable  to  move ;  and  the  temporary  refuge  which, 
they  found  at  Anoatok  doubtless  saved  their  lives. 
During  the  rest  and  delay  of  the  party  at  this  spot 
Dr.  Kane  made  several  journeys  with  his  dog-sledge 
to  the  deserted  brig  in  Eensselaer  Bay.  By  this 
means  he  conveyed  many  hundred  pounds  of  pem- 
mican  to  that  retreat,  thereby  lessening  the  load 
which  was  to  be  drawn  in  the  boats.  JHis  last  visit 
to  the  Advance,  with  which  so  many  bright  and  so 
many  sad  associations  were  connected  ,in  his  mind^ 
was  made  on  the  28th  of  May.  He  was  compelled 
to  abandon  some  of  his  scientific  collections  and 
some  of  his  philosophical  instruments,  which  he 
had  hoped  to  be  able  to  carry  away  with  him ;  and, 
having  concluded  all  his  arrangements,  he  loaded 
his  sledge,  bade  a  last  farewell  to  the  old  storm- 
beaten  craft,  and  left  her  with  a  sigh  in  the  icy  bed 
where  to  this  day  she  reposes  in  an  embrace  stronger 
than  that  of  the  Titans  of  old. 

From  Anoatok  the  journey  was  resumed  toward 
the  south ;  and  it  proved  to  be  a  most  perilous  and 
laborious  one.  Their  route  lay  over  broad  tide- 
holes,  deep  snow,  broken  ice,  and  treacherous  water, 
and  the  dangers  of  the  journey  were  so  great  that 
they  cost  the  life  of  one  of  the  best  and  ablest 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  107 

members  of  the  expedition.  In  crossing  a  tide-hole 
one  of  the  runners  of  the  sledge  of  the  "Hope" 
broke  through,  and  the  boat  would  have  gone  under 
and  its  contents  lost  had  it  not  been  for  the  prompt 
exertions  of  Christian  Ohlsen.  By  a  sudden  and 
violent  effort  he  passed  a  c_apstan-bar  under  the 
sledge,  and  thus  saved  it  until  it  was  drawn  upon 
the  firm  ice.  The  sudden  strain  was  too  great  for  his 
strength.  He  had  injured  himself  internally,  and  three 
days  afterward  he  expired.  He  was  buried  by  his 
comrades,  after  being  sewed  up  in  his  own  blankets, 
in  a  little  gorge  on  the  east  face  of  Pekiutlik ;  where 
his  remains  now  repose  beneath  a  rude  and  simple 
mound,  around  which  the  cold  winds  of  that  frozen 
zone  sigh  and  sing  from  year  to  year  their  mournful 
requiem. 

On  the  18th  of  July  the  expedition  reached  the 
termination  of  the  solid  ice,  and  they  prepared  to 
continue  their  route  by  navigation.  It  was  at  Cape 
Alexander  that  this  change  in  their  mode  of  loco 
motion  began,  and  perils  of  a  different  description, 
but  not  less  imminent,  thenceforth  awaited  them. 
Nevertheless  the  commander  led  off  in  the  Faith; 
and  he  was  boldly  followed  by  the  other  two  boats, 
the  Eric  and  the  Hope. 

Skirting  along  the  abrupt  and  frozen  shores  of 
Greenland,  they  occasionally  halted  and  drew  up 


108  ELISIIA   KENT   KANE. 

their  boats  upon  the  ice-cliffs.  la  one  instance  they 
secured  a  retreat  in  a  capacious  cave  formed  in  the 
ice,  which  Dr.  Kane  appropriately  named  the  Weary 
Man's  Best.  Another  refuge  received  the  equally 
suitable  epithet  of  Providence  Halt.  On  the  18th  of 
July  they  reached  the  Crimson  Cliffs  and  replenished 
their  stock  of  food  by  obtaining  a  large  quantity  of 
the  Arctic  birds  termed  auks.  Subsequently  they 
were  compelled  to  abandon  one  of  the  boats,  the 
Red  Eric,  and  resume  for  a  period  their  laborious 
travel  with  sledges  upon  the  ice.  The  strength  of 
the  men  began  to  be  exhausted ;  they  were  afflicted 
with  short  breathing;  and  their  feet  swelled  so  badly 
that  they  were  obliged  to  cut  open  their  canvas 
boots.  Some  of  them  were  unable  to  sleep.  Never 
theless  they  manfully  persisted,  toiling  to  overcome 
every  obstacle,  undaunted  by  any  danger  or  diffi 
culty,  until  at  last,  after  an  unparalleled  journey  of 
eighty  days,  they  saw  tossing  upon  the  distant  wave 
the  first  kayak  or  canoe  of  the  Greenlander.  As  it 
approached  them  they  hailed  its  welcome  occupant, 
who  proved  to  be  Carl  Mossyn,  from  the  Danish 
settlement  of  Kingatok.  From  him  they  soon 
learned  their  exact  location,  and  the  brief  outline 
of  news  with  which  he  was  acquainted  of  the  great 
world  from  which  they  had  so  long  been  exiles.  At 
length,  on  the  5th  of  August,  the  wearied  travellers 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  109 

entered  the  port  of  Upernavik,  landed,  and  hauled 
their  boats  for  the  last  time  upon  the  rocky  shore. 
The  memerable  perils  and  sufferings  of  the  expe 
dition  were  thus  happily  ended. 

On  .the  6th  of  September  Dr.  Kane  embarked 
with  his  crew  on  board  the  Danish  vessel  Mariane, 
then  at  Upernavik,  with  the  intention  of  disembark 
ing  at  the  Shetland  Islands  and  thence  making  his 
way  homeward  by  some  other  means.  He  took  on 
board  with  him  his  favorite  boat,  the  Faith.  This 
relic,  together  with  the  furs  on  his  back,  and  the 
documents  which  recorded  the  events  and  results  of 
the  expedition,  were  the  chief  personal  effects  and 
mementos  which  he  brought  with  him  of  his 
second  Arctic  expedition. 

On  the  llth  of  September  the  party  arrived  at 
Godhaven.  Here  the  Mariane  stopped  for  a  short 
time  to  receive  her  papers  of  clearance,  and  dis 
charge  a  few  stores.  Dr.  Kane  was  on  the  point  of 
sailing  with  her,  when  Captain  Hartstene's  vessels, 
the  Release  and  the  Arctic,  which  had  been  sent 
out  in  search  of  him,  opportunely  hove  in  sight. 
The  navigators  soon  became  aware  of  each  other's 
presence.  Dr.  Kane  immediately  left  the  Mariane 
and  transferred  himself  to  Captain  Hartstene's  ship, 
where  he  and  his  associates  were  greeted  with  loud 

and  long  huzzas  of  welcome,  and  the  most  hearty  and 

10 


110  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

genial  reception.  Their  protracted  voyage,  with  its 
infinite  anxieties  and  toils,  their  perilous  adventures 
amid  cheerless  continents  of  ice,  their  narrow  escapes 
from  rolling  mountains  and  colossal  icebergs,  their 
sufferings  from  cold,  hunger,  and  disease,  their 
gloomy  apprehensions  of  descending  at  last  to  an 
unknown  grave  amid  the  solitudes  of  the  Arctic 
realms,  and  their  sad  doubts  whether  they  should 
ever  again  behold  the  welcome  and  familiar  scenes 
of  home  and  friends  to  which  they  had  so  long  been 
exiles, — all  these  now  terminated  in  eventual  tri 
umph  and  escape.  Dr.  Kane's  labors  had  not  indeed 
resulted  in  the  discovery  of  any  new  traces  or  re 
mains  of  Sir  John  Franklin;  but  they  were  the 
means  of  securing  important  additions  to  geogra 
phical  knowledge  and  valuable  acquisitions  in  botany, 
meteorology,  and  other  departments  of  science.  His 
laborious  researches  have  probably  left  little  to  be 
hereafter  attained  by  any  successor  in  Arctic  explo 
ration.  He  and  his  party  arrived  in  the  port  of  New 
York,  with  the  squadron  of  Captain  Hartstene,  on 
the  llth  of  October,  1855,  having  been  absent 
during  the  period  of  two  years  and  nine  months  in 
the  pursuit  of  his  dangerous  and  honorable  enter 
prise.* 

*  See  "History  of  the  Second  Grinnell  Expedition,"  attributed  to 
Professor  Sontag,  passim. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

PR.  KANE'S  OFFICIAL  EEPOKT  OF  THE  SECOND  GRINNELL 
EXPEDITION. 

No  inconsiderable  portion  of  Dr.  Kane's  eminence 
resulted  from  his  unquestionable  ability  in  the  de 
partment  of  authorship.  A  prominent  peculiarity 
of  all  his  productions  is  the  clearness  and  accuracy 
with  which  they  reflect  his  own  distinctive  qualities 
of  mind  and  heart.  They  are,  to  a  great  extent, 
faithful  mirrors  in  which  the  reader  can  behold  the 
image  and  the  idiosyn-erasies  of  the  man.  The  size 
and  value  of  these  works  render  them  in  some  degree 
inaccessible  to  the  great  mass  of  the  community ;  yet 
a  biography  which  would  contain  no  specimen  of  his 
literary  productions  would  inevitably  fail  to  furnish  a 
satisfactory  portrait  of  his  character  and  his  genius. 
"We  therefore  insert  in  the  present  chapter  extracts 
from  the  Official  Report  which  Dr.  Kane  rendered 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy  at  Washington  of  the 
incidents  and  results  of  his  celebrated  expedition ; 
and  although  very  little  opportunity  was  afforded  in 

this  «essay  for  the  display  of  scientific  or  literary 

ill 


112  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

acquisitions,  it  is  illustrative  of  the  author's  cha» 
racter,  inasmuch  as  its  style  and  manner  are  singu 
larly  in  accordance  with  what  the  peculiarities  of  a 
government  document  ought  to  be :  it  is  unsurpassed 
for  conciseness,  clearness,  and  comprehensiveness. 
After  briefly  narrating  his  departure  from  the  port 
of  .New  York,  Dr.  Kane  proceeds : 

"  On  reaching  Melville  Bay  I  found  the  shore-ices  so  decayed 
that  I  did  not  deem  it  advisable  to  attempt  the  usual  passage 
along  the  fast  floes  of  the  land,  but  stood  directly  to  the  north 
ward  and  westward,  as  indicated  by  my  log,  until  I  met  the 
Middle  Pack.  Here  we  headed  nearly  direct  for  Cape  York, 
and  succeeded  in  crossing  the  bay  without  injury  in  ten  days 
after  first  encountering  the  ice.  On  the  7th  of  August  we 
reached  the  headland  of  Sir  Thomas  Smith's  Sound,  and  passed 
the  highest  point  attained  by  our  predecessor,  Captain  Ingle- 
field,  R.N.  So  far  our  observations  accorded  completely  with 
the  experience  of  this  gallant  officer  in  the  summer  of  1852. 
A  fresh  breeze,  with  a  swell  setting  in  from  the  southward  and 
westward ;  marks  upon  the  rocks  indicating  regular  tides ;  no 
ice  visible  from  aloft,  and  all  the  signs  of  continuous  open 
water.  As  we  advanced,  however,  a  belt  of  heavy  stream-ice 
was  seen, — an  evident  precursor  of  drift ;  and  a  little  afterward 
it  became  evident  that  the  channel  to  the  northward  was  ob 
structed  by  drifting  pack.  We  were  still  too  far  to  the  south  to 
carry  out  the  views  I  had  formed  of  our  purposed  search,  and  it 
became  my  duty,  therefore,  to  attempt  the  penetration  of  this 
ice.  Before  doing  this,  I  selected  an  appropriate  inlet  for  a 
provision-depot,  and  buried  there  a  supply  of  beef,  pork,  and 
bread ;  at  the  same  place  we  deposited  our  Francis's  life-boat, 
covering  it  carefully  with  wet  sand,  and  overlaying  the 'frozen 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  113 

mass  with  stones  and  moss.  We  afterward  found  that  the 
Esquimaux  had  hunted  around  this  inlet;  but  the  cache, 
which  we  had  thus  secured  as  our  own  resort  in  case  of 
emergency,  escaped  detection.  No  one  having  yet  visited 
this  coast,  I  landed  on  the  most  prominent  western  headland 
of  a  group  of  small  islands, — the  Littleton  Islands  of  Ingle- 
field, — and  erected  there  a  flagstaff  and  beacon;  near  this 
beacon,  according  to  preconcerted  arrangement,  we  deposited 
official  despatches  and  our  private  letters  of  farewell.  My 
first  design  in  entering  the  pack  was  to  force  a  passage  to  the 
north;  but,  after  reaching  latitude  78°  45'  N.,  we  found  the 
ice  hugging  the  American  shore,  and  extending  in  a  drifting 
mass  completely  across  the  channel.  This  ice  gradually  bore 
down  upon  us,  and  we  were  forced  to  seek  the  comparatively 
open  spaces  of  the  Greenland  coast.  Still,  we  should  have 
inevitably  been  beset  and  swept  to  the  south,  but  for  a  small 
landlocked  bay  under  whose  cliffs  we  found  a  temporary  asylum. 
We  named  it  Refuge  Inlet :  it  carries  fifty  fathoms  of  water 
within  a  biscuit-toss  of  its  northern  headland,  and,  but  for  a 
glacier  which  occupies  its  inner  curve,  would  prove  an  eligible 
winter  harbor. 

"We  were  detained  in  this  helpless  situation  three  valuable 
days,  the  pack  outside  hardly  admitting  the  passage  of  a  boat. 
But,  on  the  13th,  fearing  lest  the  rapidly-advancing  cold  might 
prevent  our  penetrating  farther,  we  warped  out  into  the  drift, 
and  fastened  to  a  grounded  berg.  That  the  Department  may 
correctly  apprehend  our  subsequent  movements,  it  is  necessary 
to  describe  some  features  peculiar  to  our  position.  The  coast 
trended  to  the  N.N.E.  It  was  metamorphic  in  structure, 
rising  in  abrupt  precipitous  cliffs  of  basaltic  greenstone  from 
eight  hundred  to  twelve  hundred  feet  in  perpendicular  height. 
The  shore  at  the  base  of  this  wall  was  invested  by  a  per 
manent  belt  of  ice,  measuring  from  three  to  forty  yards  ia 
H  10* 


114  ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

width,  with  a  mean  summer  thickness  of  eighteen  feet.  The 
ice  clung  to  the  rocks  with  extreme  tenacity ;  and,  unlike 
similar  formations  to  the  south,  it  had  resisted  the  thawing 
influences  of  summer.  The  tidal  currents  had  worn  its  sea 
ward  face  into  a  gnarled  mural  escarpment,  against  which  the 
floes  broke  with  splendid  displays  of  force ;  but  it  still  pre 
served  an  upper  surface  comparatively  level,  and  adapted  as  a 
sort  of  highway  for  further  travel.  The  drifting  ice  or  pack 
outside  of  it  was  utterly  impenetrable;  many  bergs  recently 
discharged  were  driving  backward  and  forward  with  the  tides, 
and  thus,  pressing  upon  the  ice  of  the  floes,  had  raised  up 
hills  from  sixty  to  seventy  feet  high.  The  mean  rise  and  fall 
of  the  tide  was  twelve  feet,  and  its  rate  of  motion  two  and  a 
half  knots  an  hour. 

"In  this  state  of  things,  having  no  alternative  but  either 
to  advance  or  to  discontinue  the  search,  I  determined  to  take 
advantage  of  a  small  interspace  which  occurred  at  certain 
stages  of  the  tide  between  the  main  pack  and  the  coast,  and, 
if  possible,  press  through  it.  I  was  confirmed  in  this  purpose 
by  my  knowledge  of  the  extreme  strength  of  the  Advance, 
and  my  confidence  in  the  spirit  and  fidelity  of  my  comrades. 
The  effort  occupied  us  until  the  1st  of  September.  It  was 
attended  by  the  usual  dangers  of  ice-penetration.  We  were 
on  our  beam-ends  whenever  the  receding  tides  left  us  in  de 
ficient  soundings;  and  on  two  of  such  occasions  it  was  im 
possible  to  secure  our  stoves  so  as  to  prevent  the  brig  from 
taking  fire.  We  reached  latitude  78°  43'  N.  on  the  29th 
of  August,  having  lost  a  part  of  our  starboard  bulwarks,  a 
quarter-boat,  our  jib-boom,  our  best  bower-anchor,  and  about 
six  hundred  fathoms  of  hawser;  but  with  our  brig  in  all 
essentials  uninjured. 

"  We  were  now  retarded  by  the  rapid  advance  of  winter:  the 
young  ice  was  forming  with  such  rapidity  that  it  became 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  115 

evident  that  we  must  soon  be  frozen  in.  At  this  juncture  my 
officers  addressed  to  me  written  opinions  in  favor  of  a  return 
to  a  more  southern  harbor;  but,  as  such  a  step  would  have 
cost  us  our  dearly-purchased  progress  and  removed  us  from 
the  field  of  our  intended  observations,  I  could  not  accede  to 
their  views.  I  determined,  therefore,  to  start  on  foot  with 
a  party  of  observation,  to  seek  a  spot  which  might  be  eligible 
as  a  starting-point  for  our  future  travel,  and,  if  such  a  one 
were  found,  to  enter  at  once  upon  the  fall  duties  of  search. 
This  step  determined  on,  the  command  of  the  brig  was  com 
mitted  to  Mr.  Ohlsen,  and  I  started  on  the  29th  of  August 
with  a  detachment,  carrying  a  whale-boat  and  sledge.  The 
ice  soon  checked  the  passage  of  our  boat ;  but  I  left  her,  and 
proceeded  with  a  small  sledge  along  the  ledge  of  ice  which, 
under  the  name  of  'ice-foot/  I  have  before  described  as 
clinging  to  the  shore.  "We  were  obliged,  of  course,  to  follow 
all  the  indentations  of  the  coast,  and  our  way  was  often  com 
pletely  obstructed  by  the  discharge  of  rocks  from  the  adjacent 
cliffs.  In  crossing  a  glacier  we  came  near  losing  our  party, 
and  were  finally  compelled  to  abandon  the  sledge  and  continue 
our  journey  on  foot.  We  succeeded,  however,  in  completing 
our  work,  and  reached  a  projecting  cape,  from  which,  at  an 
elevation  of  eleven  hundred  feet,  I  commanded  a  prospect  of 
the  ice  to  the  north  and  west  as  high  as  latitude  80°  N.  A 
black  ridge  running  nearly  due  north,  which  we  found  after 
ward  to  be  a  glacier,  terminated  our  view  along  the  Greenland 
coast  to  the  eastward.  Numerous  icebergs  were  crowded  in 
masses  throughout  the  axis  of  the  channel ;  and,  as  far  as  our 
vision  extended,  the  entire  surface  was  a  frozen  sea.  The 
island  named  Louis  Napoleon  on  the  charts  of  Captain  Ingle- 
field  does  not  exist.  The  resemblance  of  ice  to  land  will 
readily  explain  the  misapprehension. 
"The  result  of  this  journey,  although  not  cheering,  confirmed 


116  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

me  in  my  intention  of  wintering  in  the  actual  position  of  the 
brig ;  and  I  proceeded,  immediately  on  our  return,  to  organize 
parties  for  the  fall,  with  a  view  to  the  establishment  of  provi 
sion-depots  to  facilitate  the  further  researches  of  the  spring.. 
In  selecting  sites  for  these  and  the  attendant  travel,  our  par 
ties  passed  over  more  than  eight  hundred  miles.  The  coast 
of  Greenland  was  traced  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles 
to  the  north  and  east,  and  three  caches  were  established  at 
favorable  points.  The  largest  of  these  (No.  III.  of  chart) 
contained  eight  hundred  pounds  of  pemmican ;  it  was  located 
upon  an  island  in  latitude  79°  12'  6"  N.,  longitude  65°  25' 
W.,  by  Messrs.  McG-ary  and  Bengali.  These  operations  were 
continued  until  the  20th  of  November,  when  the  darkness 
arrested  them.  Our  brig  had  been  frozen  in  since  the  10th 
of  September.  We  had  selected  a  harbor  near  a  group  of 
rocky  islets  in  the  southeastern  curve  of  the  bay,  where  we 
could  establish  our  observatory,  and  had  facilities  for  pro 
curing  water  and  for  daily  exercise.  We  were  secure,  too, 
against  probable  disturbance  during  the  winter,  and  were  suf 
ficiently  within  the  tidal  influences  to  give  us  a  hope  of  libe 
ration  in  the  spring. 

"As  we  were  about  to  winter  higher  north  than  any 
previous  expedition,  and,  besides  a  probable  excess  of  cold, 
were  about  to  experience  a  longer  deprivation  of  solar 
light,  the  arrangements  for  the  interior  were  studied  care 
fully.  The  deck  was  housed  in  with  boards  and  calked 
with  oakum.  A  system  of  warmth  and  ventilation  was 
established  j  our  permanent  lamps  were  cased  with  chimneys, 
to  prevent  the  accumulation  of  smoke ;  cooking,  ice-melting, 
and  washing  arrangements  were  minutely  cared  for;  the  dogs 
were  kennelled  in  squads,  and  they  were  allowed  the  alternate 
use  of  snow-houses  and  of  the  brig,  as  their  condition  might 
require.  Our  domestic  system  was  organized  with  the  most 


ELISHA    KENT   KANE.  117 

exact  attention  to  cleanliness,  exercise,  recreation,  and  withal  to 
fixed  routine.  During  the  winter  which  followed,  the  sun  was 
one  hundred  and  twenty  days  below  the  horizon ;  and,  owing  to 
a  range  of  hills  toward  our  southern  meridian,  the  maximum 
darkness  was  not  relieved  by  apparent  twilight  even  at  noon 
day.  The  atmospheric  temperatures  were  lower  than  any 
that  had  been  recorded  by  others  before  us.  We  had  adopted 
every  precaution  to  secure  accuracy  in  these  observations,  and 
the  indications  of  our  numerous  thermometers — alcoholic, 
ethereal,  and  mercurial — were  registered  hourly.  From  them 
it  appears  that  the  mean  annual  temperature  of  Rensselaer 
Harbor,  as  we  named  our  winter-home,  is  lower  than  that  of 
Melville  Island,  as  recorded  by  Parry,  by  two  degrees.  In 
certain  sheltered  positions,  the  process  of  freezing  was  unin- 
termitted  for  any  consecutive  twenty-four  hours  throughout 
the  year.  The  lowest  temperature  was  observed  in  February, 
when  the  mean  of  eight  instruments  indicated  minus  70° 
Fahrenheit.  Chloroform  froze ;  the  essential  oils  of  sassafras, 
juniper,  cubebs,  and  wintergreen  were  resolved  into  mixed 
solid  and  liquid  j  and  on  the  morning  of  February  24  we  wit 
nessed  chloric  ether  congealed  for  the  first  time  by  a  natural 
temperature. 

"Our  preparations  for  the  second  winter  were  modified 
largely  by  controlling  circumstances.  The  physical  energies 
of  the  party  had  sensibly  declined.  Our  resources  were  dimi 
nished.  We  had  but  fifty  gallons  of  oil  saved  from  our  sum 
mer's  seal-hunt.  We  were  scant  of  fuel ;  and  our  food,  which 
now  consisted  only  of  the  ordinary  marine  stores,  was  by  no 
means  suited  to  repel  scurvy.  Our  molasses  was  reduced  to 
forty  gallons,  and  our  dried  fruits  seemed  to  have  lost  their 
efficiency.  A  single  apartment  was  bulkheaded  off  amidships 
as  a  dormitory  and  abiding-room  for  our  entire  party,  and  a 
moss  envelop,  cut  with  difficulty  from  the  frozen  cliffs,  made 


118  ELISHA   KENT    KANE. 

to  enclose  it  like  a  wall.  A  similar  casing  was  placed  over 
our  deck,  and  a  small  tunnelled  entry- — the  tossut  of  the  Es 
quimaux — contrived  to  enter  from  below.  We  adopted  as 
nearly  as  we  could  the  habits  of  the  natives,  burning  lamps 
for  heat,  dressing  .in  fox-skin  clothing,  and  relying  for  our 
daily  supplies  on  the  success  of  organized  hunting-parties. 

"  The  upper  tribes  of  these  Esquimaux  had  their  nearest 
winter  settlement  at  a  spot  distant,  by  dog-journey,  about 
seventy-five  miles.  We  entered  into  regular  communication 
with  this  rude  and  simple-minded  people,  combining  our 
efforts  with  theirs  for  mutual  support,  and  interchanging 
numerous  friendly  offices.  Bear-meat,  seal,  walrus,  fox,  and 
ptarmigan,  were  our  supplies.  They  were  eaten  raw,  with  a 
rigorous  attention  to  their  impartial  distribution.  With  the 
dark  months,  however,  these  supplies  became  very  scanty. 
The  exertions  of  our  best  hunters  were  unavailing,  and  my 
personal  attempts  to  reach  the  Esquimaux  failed  less  on 
account  of  the  cold  (minus  52°)  than  the  ruggedness  of  the 
ice,  the  extreme  darkness,  and  the  renewal  of  tetanic  diseases 
among  our  dogs.  Our  poor  neighbors,  however,  fared  worse 
than  ourselves :  famine,  attended  by  frightful  forms  of  dis 
ease,  reduced  them  to  the  lowest  stages  of  misery  and  emaci 
ation.  Our  own  party  was  gradually  disabled.  Mr.  Brooks 
and  Mr.  Wilson,  both  of  whom  had  lost  toes  by  amputation, 
manifested  symptoms  of  a  grave  character.  William  Morton 
was  severely  frozen ;  and  we  were  deprived  of  the  valuable 
services  of  the  surgeon  by  the  effects  of  a  frost-bite,  which 
rendered  it  necessary  for  him  to  submit  to  amputation. 
Scurvy  with  varying  phases  gradually  pervaded  our  company, 
until  Mr.  Bonsall  and  myself  only  remained  able  to  attend 
upon  the  sick  and  carry  on  the  daily  work  of  the  ship,  if  that 
name  could  still  appropriately  designate  the  burrow  which  .we 
inhabited.  Even  after  this  state  of  things  had  begun  to  im- 


ELISHA   KENT  KANE.  119 

prove,  the  demoralizing  effects  of  continued  debility  and 
seemingly  hopeless  privation  were  unfavorably  apparent 
among  some  of  the  party.  I  pass  from  this  topic  with  the 
eingle  remark  that  our  ultimate  escape  would  have  been 
hazarded,  but  for  the  often  painfully-enforced  routine  which 
the  more  experienced  among  us  felt  the  necessity  of  adhering 
to  rigorously  under  all  circumstances. 

"  In  -the  latter  part  of  March  the  walrus  again  made  their 
appearance  among  the  broken  ice  to  the  south,  and  we  shared 
with  the  Esquimaux  the  proceeds  of  the  hunt.  The  hemor 
rhages  which  had  much  depressed  our  party  subsided,  and  we 
began  slowly  to  recover  our  strength.  The  sun  came  back  to 
us  on  the  21st  of  February;  and  by  the  18th  of  April  the 
carpenter  and  several  others  were  able  to  resume  their  duties. 
In  view  of  the  contingencies  which  I  had  long  apprehended, 
I  found  it  necessary  to  abandon  the  brig.  We  had  already 
consumed  for  firewood  her  upper  spars,  bulwarks,  deck- 
sheathing,  stanchions,  bulkheads,  hatches,  extra  strengthen 
ing-timbers — in  fact,  every  thing  that  could  be  taken  without 
destroying  her  sea-worthiness.  The  papers  which  I  append 
show  the  results  of  the  several  surveys  made  at  this  •  time  by 
my  orders.  It  will  be  seen  from  them  that  we  had  but  a  few 
weeks'  supply  left  of  food  or  fuel;  that  the  path  of  our 
intended  retreat  was  a  solid  plain  of  ice,  and  that  to  delay  a 
third  winter,  while  it  could  in  no  wise  promote  the  search 
after  Sir  John  Franklin,  would  prove  fatal  to  many  of  our 
party.  Our  organization  for  the  escape  was  matured  with  the 
greatest  care.  Three  boats — two  of  them  whaleboats  twenty- 
four  feet  in  length,  and  the  third  a  light  cedar  dingy  of  thir 
teen  feet — were  mounted  upon  runners  cut  from  the  cross 
beams  of  the  vessel  and  bolted,  to  prevent  the  disaster  of 
breakage.  These  runners  were  eighteen  feet  in  length,  and 
shod  with  hoop-iron.  No  nails  were  used  in  their  construe- 


120  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

tion ;  they  were  lashed  together  so  as  to  form  a  pliable  sledge, 
and  upon  it  the  boats  were  cradled  so  as  to  be  removable  at 
pleasure. 

"A  fourth  sledge,  with  a  team  of  dogs,  was  reserved  for 
the  transport  of  our  sick,  four  of  whom  were  still  unable  to 
move,  and  for  carrying  on  our  stock  of  provisions.  An  aban 
doned  Esquimaux  hut,  about  thirty-five  miles  from  the  brig, 
was  fitted  up  as  well  as  our  means  permitted,  to  serve  as  an 
entrepot  of  stores  and  a  wayside  shelter  for  those  of  the  party 
who  were  already  broken  down,  or  who  might  yield  to  the  first 
trials  of  the  journey.  The  cooking-utensils  were  made  from 
our  old  stove-pipe.  They  consisted  of  simple  soup-boilers, 
enclosed  by  a  cylinder  to  protect  them  from  the  wind.  A 
metal  trough  to  receive  fat,  with  the  aid  of  moss  and  cotton 
canvas,  enabled  us  to  keep  up  an  active  fire.  My  provisions 
were  packed  in  water-proof  bags,  adapted  in  shape  to  tho 
sheer  of  the  boats,  and  in  no  case  rising  above  the  thwarts. 
They  consisted,  with  the  exception  of  tea,  coffee,  and  small 
stores  for  the  sick,  exclusively  of  melted  fat  and  powdered 
biscuit.  The  clothing  was  limited  to  a  fixed  allowance.  Moc 
casins  for  the  feet  were  made  of  our  woollen  carpeting,  which 
had  been  saved  for  the  purpose,  and  numerous  changes  of  dry 
blanket-socks  were  kept  for  general  use.  For  bedding,  our 
buffalo-robes  were  aided  by  eider-down  quilted  into  coverlets : 
the  experience  of  former  travel  having  assured  us  that,  next 
to  diet  and  periodical  rest,  good  bedding  and  comfortable  foot 
gear  were  the  most  important  things  to  be  considered. 

"I  took  upon  myself  the  office  of  transporting  the  sick  and 
our  reserve  of  provisions,  employing  for  this  purpose  a  dog- 
sledge  and  our  single  team  of  dogs.  I  carried  down  my  first 
load  of  stores  in  April,  and  on  the  15th  of  May  began  the 
removal  of  the  sick.  By  the  middle  of  June,  all  our  dis 
abled  men  and  some  twelve  hundred  pounds  of  stores  had  iu 


ELISHA   KENT    KANE.  121 

this  manner  been  transferred  by  a  series  of  journeyings  equal 
in  the  aggregate  to  eleven  hundred  miles.  On  the  17th  of 
May,  having  authenticated  by  appropriate  surveys  the  neces 
sities  of  our  condition  and  made  all  our  preparations  for  the 
journey,  the  sledge-boats  left  the  vessel,  dragged  by  the 
officers  and  men,  under  the  immediate  charge  of  Mr.  Henry 
Brooks;  a  duty  which  he  fulfilled  with  unswerving  fidelity 
and  energy. 

"  My  collections  of  natural  history  were  also  carried  as  far 
as  the  sick-station  at  Anoatok ;  but,  under  a  reluctant  convic 
tion  that  a  farther  effort  to  preserve  them  would  risk  the 
safety  of  the  party,  they  were  finally  abandoned.  It  is  grate 
ful  to  me  to  recollect  the  devotion  of  my  comrades,  who 
volunteered  to  sacrifice  shares  of  both  food  and  clothing  to 
secure  these  records  of  our  labors.  "We  were  able,  not  with 
out  difficulty,  to  carry  our  chronometers  and  the  various  in 
struments,  magnetic  and  others,  which  might  allow  me  still 
to  make  and  verify  our  accustomed  observations.  We  left 
behind  the  theodolite  of  the  United  States  Coast  Survey  and 
the  valuable  self-registering  barometric  apparatus  furnished 
by  the  American  Philosophical  Society.  Our  library,  as  well 
those  portions  which  had  been  furnished  by  the  government 
and  by  Mr.  Grinnell  as  my  own,  were  necessarily  sacrificed. 
We  preserved  only  the  documents  of  the  Expedition.  The 
first  portions  of  our  journey  filled  me  with  misgivings,  as  the 
weakness  of  the  party  showed  itself  in  dropsical  swellings 
and  excessive  difficulty  of  respiration.  In  spite  of  a  careful 
system  of  training,  the  first  exposure  to  temperatures  ranging 
about  zero  and  below  it  were  to  an  invalid  party  extremely 
trying ;  and  for  the  first  eight  days  the  entire  distance  accom 
plished  from  the  ship  did  not  exceed  fifteen  miles.  Although 
the  mean  rate  of  transportation  was  afterward  increased,  it 
never  exceeded  three  and  a  half  miles  a  day  over  ice.  Some 

11 


122  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

idea  may  be  formed  by  the  Department  of  the  nature  of  this 
journey  from  the  fact  that  every  three  and  a  half  miles  thus 
attained  cost  us  from  twelve  to  fifteen  miles  of  actual  travel. 

"  To  sustain  the  party  by  the  aid  of  fresh  food  required 
dog-journeys  to  the  south  settlements  of  the  Esquimaux,  dis 
tant  from  us  about  seventy-five  miles.  I  found  it  necessary, 
also,  to  return  from  time  to  time  to  the  brig,  with  the  view 
of  augmenting  our  supplies.  My  last  visit  to  her  was  on  the 
8th  of  June,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  some  pork  to  serve 
for  fuel.  She  was  then  precisely  as  when  we  left  her  on  the 
17th  of  May,  immovably  frozen  in,  with  nine  feet  of  solid  ice 
under  her  bows.  We  availed  ourselves  of  the  occasional  fa 
cilities  which  these  visits  allowed  us  to  increase  our  stock  of 
bread,  of  which  we  succeeded  in  baking  four  hundred  and 
eighty  pounds. 

"Continuing  our  southward  progress,  we  neared  Littleton 
Island.  Our  sick,  first  left  at  Anoatok,  were  gradually  brought 
down  to  the  boats  as  some  of  them  gained  strength  enough  to 
aid  in  the  labor  of  dragging.  The  condition  of  the  ice  as  it 
became  thinner  and  decaying  made  this  labor  more  difficult ; 
and,  in  the  course  of  our  many  breaks  through,  several  of 
the  'party  narrowly  escaped  being  carried  under  by  the  tides. 
In  the  effort  to  liberate  our  sledges  from  the  broken  ice  after 
one  of  these  accidents,  Acting  Carpenter  Ohlsen  received  an 
internal  injury.  Paralysis  of  the  bladder  was  rapidly  followed 
by  tetanic  symptoms,  and  he  died  on  the  12th  of  June,  three 
days  after  his  attack.  He  has  left  behind  him  a  young  wife, 
who  depended  entirely  upon  him  for  support.  He  was  buried 
upon  Littleton  Island,  opposite  a  cape  which  bears  his  name. 

"From  this  stage  of  our  journey  up  to  the  time  of  reaching 
the  first  open  water,  which  was  near  Cape  Alexander,  we  were 
comforted  by  the  friendly  assistance  of  the  Esquimaux  of 
Etah.  These  people  faithfully  adhered  to  the  alliance  which 


ELISHA   KENT    KANE.  123 

we  had  established  during  the  winter.  They  brought  us  daily 
supplies  of  birds,  helped  us  to  carry  our  provisions  and  stores, 
and  in  their  daily  intercourse  with  us  exhibited  the  kindest 
feeling  and  most  rigid  honesty.  When  we  remembered  that 
they  had  been  so  assuming  and  aggressive  upon  our  first 
arrival  that  I  was  forced  to  seize  their  wives  as  hostages  for 
the  protection  of  our  property,  their  present  demeanor  was 
not  without  its  lesson.  Once  convinced  of  our  superiority 
of  power,  and  assured  of  our  disposition  to  unite  our  resources 
with  theirs  for  mutual  protection  and  support,  they  had  relied 
upon  us  implicitly,  and  strove  now  to  requite  their  obligations 
toward  us  by  ministering  to  our  wants.  We  left  them  on  the 
18th  of  June,  at  the  margin  of  the  floe.  In  thirty-one  days 
we  had  walked  three  hundred  and  sixteen  miles,  and  had 
transported  our  boats  over  eighty-one  miles  of  unbroken  ice. 
The  men,  women,  and  children  of  the  little  settlement  had 
also  travelled  over  the  ice  to  bid  us  good-bye,  and  we  did  not 
part  from  them  without  emotion. 

"  The  passage  between  this  point  and  one  ten  miles  north 
west  of  Hakluyt  Island  was  in  open  water.  It  was  the  only 
open  water  seen  north  of  Cape  York,  in  latitude  75°  59'  N. 
We  ran  this  under  sail  in  a  single  day,  hauling  up  on  the  ice 
to  sleep.  The  ice  was  a  closed  pack,  hanging  around  the 
north  and  south  channels  of  Murchison  Sound,  and  seemingly 
continued  to  the  westward.  The  land-ices  were  still  unbroken, 
and  we  were  obliged  to  continue  our  journey  by  alternate 
movements  over  ice  and  water.  So  protracted  and  arduous 
were  these,  that  between  the  20th  of  June  and  the  6th  of 
July  we  had  advanced  but  one  hundred  miles.  Our  average 
progress  was  about  eight  miles  a  day,  stopping  for  our  hunting- 
parties  and  for  sleep.  Great  care  was  taken  not  to  infringe 
upon  the  daily  routine.  We  had  perpetual  daylight;  but  it 
was  my  rule,  rarely  broken  even  by  extreme  necessity,  not  to 


124  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

enter  upon  the  labors  of  a  day  until  we  were  fully  refreshed 
from  those  of  the  day  before.  We  halted  regularly  at  bed 
time  and  for  meals.  The  boats,  if  afloat,  were  drawn  up,  the 
oars  always  disposed  on  the  ice  as  a  platform  for  the  stores; 
our  buffalo-skins  were  spread,  each  man  placed  himself  with 
his  pack  according  to  his  number,  the  cook  for  the  day  made 
his  fire,  and  the  ration,  however  scanty,  was  formally  measured 
out.  Prayers  were  never  intermitted.  I  believe  firmly  that 
to  these  well-sustained  observances  we  are  largely  indebted  for 
our  final  escape. 

"As  we  moved  onward,  we  were  forced  to  rely  principally  on 
our  guns  for  a  supply  of  food.  We  suffered,  when  off  the 
coast  immediately  north  of  Wostenholm  Sound,  from  a  scarcity 
of  game,  and  were  subjected  to  serious  sickness  in  consequence. 
But  at  Dalrymple  Island,  a  little  farther  south,  we  recruited 
rapidly  on  eggs  of  the  eider-duck;  and  from  this  point  to 
Conical  Rock  we  found  birds  in  abundance.  Again,  at  the 
most  uncertain  period  of  our  passage,  when  our  stock  of  pro 
visions  was  nearly  exhausted,  we  were  suddenly  arrested  in  our 
course  by  high  and  rugged  land-ice,  which  hugged  a  glacier 
near  Cape  Dudley  Digges.  We  were  too  weak  to  drag  our 
boats  over  this  barrier,  and  were  driven  in  consequence  to  land 
under  the  cliffs.  To  our  joyful  surprise,  we  found  them 
teeming  with  animal  life.  This  transition  from  enfeebling 
want  to  the  plenty  which  restored  our  strength,  we  attributed 
to  the  direct  interposition  of  Providence.  The  lumme  (Urise, 
Brunichii,  and  Troile)  was  the  fowl  which  we  here  found  in 
greatest  numbers.  We  dried  upon  the  rocks  about  two 
hundred  pounds  of  its  meat,  which  we  carefully  saved  for  the 
transit  of  Melville  Bay.  The  rest  of  the  coast,  except  under 
the  glaciers,  was  followed  with  less  difficulty.  We  found  peat 
of  good  quality,  and  plenty  of  food.  Our  daily  allowance  of 
birds  was  twelve  to  a  man.  They  were  boiled  into  a  rich 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  125 

soup,  to  which  we  added  a  carefully-measured  allowance  of  six 
ounces  of  bread. 

"  On  the  21st  we  reached  Cape  York,  and,  finding  no  natives, 
made  immediate  preparations  for  crossing  Melville  Bay.  An 
extended  view  showed  the  land-ice  nearly  unbroken,  and  a 
large  drift  of  pack  to  the  southward  and  westward.  A  beacon- 
cairn  was  built,  and  strips  of  red  flannel  fastened  to  a  flagstaff 
so  placed  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  whalers  or  searching- 
parties.  I  deposited  here  a  notice  of  our  future  intentions, 
a  list  of  our  provisions  on  hand,  and  a  short  summary  of  the 
discoveries  of  the  cruise. 

"  Up  to  the  26th  of  July  our  traverse  of  Melville  Bay  was 
along  the  margin  of  the  land-ice,  with  only  twice  a  resort  to 
portage.  We  came  then  upon  comparatively  open  drift  ex 
tending  to  the  southward  and  westward,  which,  after  mature 
consideration,  I  determined  to  follow.  There  were  arguments 
in  favor  of  a  different  course,  perhaps  for  the  time  less  hazard 
ous  ;  but  the  state  of  health  among  my  comrades  admonished 
me  that  it  was  best  to  encounter  the  risks  that  were  to  expedite 
our  release.  The  reduced  bulk  of  our  stores  enabled  us  now  to 
consolidate  the  party  into  two  boats,  breaking  up  the  remain 
ing  one  for  fuel,  of  which  we  were  in  need.  Our  lengthened 
practice  of  alternating  boat  and  sledge  management  had  given 
us  something  of  assurance  in  this  mode  of  travel,  and  we  were, 
besides,  familiarized  with  privation.  It  was  a  time  of  re 
newed  suffering;  but,  in  the  result,  we  reached  the  north 
coast  of  Greenland,  near  Horse's  Head,  on  the  3d  of  August, 
and,  following  thence  the  inside  passage,  arrived  on  the  6th 
at  Upernavik,  eighty-three  days  after  leaving  the  Advance. 
We  did  not  intermit  our  observations  by  sextant  and  artificial 
horizon  as  we  came  down  the  bay,  and  succeeded  in  adding 
to  our  meteorological  and  magnetic  registers.  These,  in 
cluding  a  re-survey  of  the  coast  as  laid  down  in  the  Admi- 

11* 


126  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

ralty  charts,  will  be  included  in  a  special  report  to  the 
Department. 

"We  were  welcomed  at  the  Danish  settlements  with  cha 
racteristic  hospitality.  The  chief  trader,  Knud  Gelmeyden 
Fleischer,  advanced  to  us  from  the  stores  of  the  Royal  Green 
land  Trading  Company  at  Upernavik  whatever  our  necessities 
required ;  and  when  we  afterward  reached  Godhavn,  the  seat 
of  the  royal  inspectorate,  Mr.  Olrik,  the  inspector,  lavished 
the  kindest  attentions  upon  our  party. 

"  We  had  taken  passage  at  Upernavik  in  the  Danish  brig 
Marianne,  then  upon  her  annual  visit  to  the  Greenland  colo 
nies,  Captain  Amandsen,  her  very  courteous  and  liberal  com 
mander,  having  engaged  to  land  us  at  the  Shetland  Isles  on  his 
return  route  to  Copenhagen.  But,  touching  for  a  few  days 
at  Disco,  we  were  met  by  the  vessels  which  had  been  sent 
after  us,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Hartstene.  I 
have  no  words  to  express  the  gratitude  of  all  our  party  toward 
that  noble-spirited  officer  and  his  associates,  and  toward  our 
countrymen  stt  home  who  had  devised  and  given  effect  to  the 
expedition  for  our  rescue/' 


CHAPTEE  XH. 

DR.  KANE'S  LAST  LABORS,  ILLNESS,  AND  DEATH. 

THE  mental  and  physical  labor  involved  in  the 
preparation  of  the  narrative  of  4  his  second  Arctic 
Expedition  exerted  a  pernicious  influence  on  Dr. 
Kane's  health.  His  active  habits  had  rendered  him 
in  a  great  measure  unfit  for  the  confining  and 
sedentary  toil  involved  in  such  an  undertaking. 
After  suffering  severely  from  the  scurvy  during 
many  months  of  his  absence,  the  first  necessity  of 
his  system  was  relaxation  and  amusement ;  instead 
of  which  he  devoted  himself  continuously  and  labo 
riously  to  the  completion  of  the  task  which  he  had 
designated  for  himself. 

The  anxieties  attendant  upon  the  composition  of 
this  work  were  increased  by  the  attempt  which  was 
made  by  those  pecuniarily  interested  in  its  future  sale, 
to  obtain  an  appropriation  from  Congress  for  the 
purchase  of  a  large  number  of  copies.  The  represen 
tatives  from  Philadelphia,  Messrs.  Tyson  and  Flo 
rence,  particularly  interested  themselves  in  this 

effort.     They  were  aided   by  other  statesmen   of 

127 


128  ,       ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

eminence  at  Washington ;  by  whose  means  a  favor 
able  bill  was  passed  by  the  House.  There  were 
greater  obstacles  to  be  overcome  in  the  Senate; 
where,  eventually,  the  proposed  appropriation  was 
negatived.  This  result  was  naturally  the  source  of 
much  vexation  to  the  author,  to  whom  the  sensation 
of  defeat  in  any  enterprise  was  an  unusual  and  a 
repugnant  one.  This  failure  was  not  produced  by 
any  supposed  want  of  merit  either  in  the  work  or 
in  the  expedition  whose  events  it  chronicled ;  but 
because  a  contrary  course  was  thought  to  establish 
a  precedent  which  would  be  pernicious  or  unfair. 
"What  the  government  thought  of  the  expedition 
may  be  gathered  from  Mr.  Dobbin's  published  sen 
timents  on  the  subject.  He  says,  "The  discoveries 
made  by  this  truly  remarkable  man  and  excellent 
officer  (Dr.  Kane)  will  be  regarded  as  valuable 
contributions  to  science.  He  advanced  in  those 
frozen  regions  far  beyond  his  intrepid  predecessors 
whose  explorations  had  excited  such  admiration. 
I  commend  the  results  of  his  explorations  as 
worthy  of  the  attention  and  patronage  of  Con 
gress."*  Other  legislative  bodies  in  the  country 
were  not  so  backward  in  expressions  of  proper 
appreciation.  The  Legislatures  of  Pennsylvania, 

*  See  the  Annual  Report  of  Mr.  Dobbin,  Secretary  of  the  Navy, 
dated  December  3,  1855. 


ELISHA   KENT   KAXE  129 

New  Yorl£,  New  Jersey,  and  Maryland  passed 
resolutions  applauding  the  results  of  the  Expedi 
tion;  while  from  the  Legislature  of  New  York, 
from  the  Geographical  Society  of  London,  and  from 
the  sovereign  of  Great  Britain,  Dr.  Kane  received 
gold  medals  as  tokens  of  their  admiration  for  his 
services  and  achievements. 

The  question  here  very  naturally  suggests  itself: 
What  were  the  actual  results  produced  by  Dr.  Kane's 
second  expedition  ?  These  results  can  be  ascertained 
most  accurately  by  a  careful  examination  of  the 
elaborate  Chart  which  was  published  in  connection 
with  his  narrative,  and  by  comparing  its  novelties 
and  improvements  with  the  charts  which  had  pre 
viously  existed.  By  such  a  scrutiny  we  learn  (1) 
That  Dr.  Kane  explored  the  northern  face  of  Green 
land,  where  it  is  united  with  the  northern  extremity 
of  the  opposite  coast  by  the  Great  Glacier  of  Hum- 
boldt.  (2.)  He  carefully  examined  this  remarkable 
and  unfamiliar  wonder  of  the  Arctic  zone ;  which, 
as  we  have  seen  on  a  preceding  page,  presents  an 
unbroken  front  of  sixty  miles.  (3.)  He  discovered 
and  described  the  most  northern  extremity  and  pro 
jection  of  the  American  Continent.  (4.)  He  dis 
covered  and  examined  the  coast  of  "Washington 
Land,  which  is  separated  from  the  American  Con 
tinent  by  a  channel  thirty-five  miles  in  width.  (5.) 


130  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

He  delineated  nearly  a  thousand  miles  of  coast-line, 
to  accomplish  which  result  he  journeyed  two  thou 
sand  miles  either  on  foot,  or  on  sledges  drawn  by 
dogs.  (6.)  The  expedition  also  discovered  the  Polar 
Sea,  which  Captain  Inglefield  supposed  he  had  also 
previously  seen,  as  asserted  in  his  so-called  "Dip 
into  the  Polar  Basin;"  but  which  flattering  idea 
was  probably  a  delusion.*  The  discovery  of  this 
singular  phenomenon  by  Dr.  Kane's  expedition 
rests  not  upon  the  authority  of  the  commander,  but 
on  that  of  Morton. 

After  having  completed  his  second  narrative  for 
the  press,  Dr.  Kane's  health  was  so  much  impaired 
that  he  felt  the  necessity  of  trying  the  recuperative 
effect  of  travel.  He  sailed  for  England  in  October, 
1856%.  During  the  passage  he  became  worse.  After 
a  voyage  of  ordinary  duration,  he  reached  Liverpool. 
Here  he  visited  Mrs.  Franklin,  the  devoted  wife  of 
the  heroic  navigator,  the  British  Admiralty,  and 
the  Royal  Geographical  Society ;  and  he  was  every 
where  received  with  the  cordial  applause  and  dis 
tinction  which  were  due  to  his  character  and  ser 
vices.  But  he  quickly  discovered  that  the  foggy 
atmosphere  of  London,  and  its  reeking , miasmata, 

*  See  "A  Summer's  Search  for  Sir  John  Franklin,  with  a  Dip  into 
the  Polar  Basin,"  by  Commander  E.  A.  Inglefield,  in  the  steamer 
Isabel  London,  1853. 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  131 

were  deadly  in  their  effects  upon  his  system ;  and 
he  resolved  at  once  to  test  the  influence  of  a  clearer 
and  purer  climate.  The  disease  which  afflicted  him 
was  the  one  to  which  he  had  long  been  subject, — 
hypertrophy,  or  enlargement,  of  the  heart;  a  dan 
gerous  and  painful  affection,  which  produced  fre 
quent  palpitation  and  difficult  respiration.  "With 
these  ailments  were  now  united  that  endemic  Arctic 
plague,  the  scurvy. 

In  accordance  with  hie  resolution,  Dr.  Kane  sailed 
for  Cuba  in  November,  1856.  On  the  25th  of  De 
cember  he  reached  the  port  of  Havana.  The  voy 
age  had  not  improved  his  health,  and  a  paralyzed 
leg  and  arm  were  now  added  to  his  other  diseases. 
Having  disembarked  and  taken  lodgings  at  a  hotel 
on  shore,  his  condition  slightly  improved.  In  a  few 
days  his  mother  and  two  brothers  reached  his  bed 
side  ;  and  thus  he  obtained  a  very  great  alleviation 
of  his  loneliness  and  his  sufferings,  by  enjoying  the 
presence  and  the  assiduities  of  those  to  whom  he 
was  most  closely  attached.  He  still  entertained 
hopes  of  recovery,  and  anxiously  desired  to  resume 
his  voyage  homeward;  but  his  fate  had  been  far 
differently  ordered.  He  continued  to  sink  rapidly 
from  day  to  day.  In  the  last  solemn  scenes  of  his 
life  he  was  as  remarkable  and  peculiar  as  during 
the  whole  of  his  previous  existence.  Very  soon 


132  ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

after  Ms  arrival  at  Havana  lie  discovered  that  re 
covery  was  hopeless ;  he  became  conscious  that  his 
last  hour  rapidly  approached;  and  he  yielded  to 
his  destiny  with  the  self-possessed  resignation  and 
composure  of  a  hero  and  a  Christian.  At  his  own 
request,  favorite  portions  of  Scripture  were  daily 
read  in  his  hearing,  to  which  he  listened,  even 
when  racked  by  the  acutest  pangs  of  suffering,  with 
devout  attention,  and  which  seemed  greatly  to  so 
lace  and  cheer  him.  One  incident  which  occurred 
in  the  dying  chamber  of  that  youthful  hero  well 
deserves  to  be  held  in  remembrance.  It  had  been 
his  fate,  as  it  is  invariably  the  lot  of  superior  genius 
and  success,  to  pay  the  penalty  of  such  rare  gifts 
by  incurring  the  jealousy,  the  malice,  and  the  per- 
secutibn  of  those  meaner  and  baser  reptiles  of  the 
human  species  who  thus  revenge  themselves  for 
their  own  insignificance  and  inferiority.  From 
such  as  these  Dr.  Kane  had  suffered  aggravated 
wrongs;  yet  even  these,  upon  his  death-bed,  he 
himself  cordially  forgave,  and  demanded  a  similar 
sentiment  from  his  weeping  relatives  around  him. 
In  this  act  there  was  displayed  a  moral  sublimity 
and  a  philosophy  which  words  cannot  describe ;  for  if 
the  forgiveness  of  enemies  be  the  most  difficult  and 
elevated  duty  of  Christian  ethics ;  if  the  sublimest 
teachings  of  human  philosophers,  either  ancient  or 


ELISHA  KENT   KANE.  133 

modern,  have  never  yet  attained  so  exalted  a  con 
ception  ;  if  this  be  one  of  the  chief  elements  of 
Christianity  which  proves  its  measureless  superi 
ority  over  all  human  systems  of  belief  and  duty; 
then  he  who  possessed  the  almost  unparalleled 
courage  and  conscience  to  fulfil  that  precept  de 
serves  to  be  applauded  to  the  echo  as  a  wise,  a 
good,  and  even  a  great,  man. 

This  last  duty  having  been  performed,  and  when 
the  voice  of  maternal  tenderness  was  repeating  the 
comforting  words  of  the  Great  Teacher  of  men: 
"Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled ;  ye  believe  in  God, 
believe  also  in  me.  In  my  Father's  house  are  many 
mansions  :  if  it  were  not  so  I  would  have  told  you. 
I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you;"  the  spirit  of  the 
sufferer,  gently  severing  the  cords  which  bound  it 
to  its  scarred  and  battered  tenement  of  earth,  sprang 
upward  and  away  to  other  and  nobler  spheres.  This 
event  occurred  on  the  16th  of  February,  1857. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

OBSEQUIES  OF  DK.  KANE — ESTIMATE  OF  HIS  CHARACTER. 

THE  remains  of  Dr.  Kane  were  conveyed  by  his 
relatives  from  Havana  to  his  native  city  for  inter 
ment.  Appropriate  honors  and  impressive  ceremo 
nies  attended  their  progress  from  New  Orleans  to 
Philadelphia,  at  all  the  principal  cities  upon  the 
route.  When  they  arrived  at  the  termination  of 
their  journey,  they  lay  in  solemn  state  for  some  days 
in  the  Hall  of  American  Independence..  The  City 
Councils  passed  resolutions  of  condolence  for  his 
death,  of  appreciation  of  his  merits,  and  of  respect 
for  his  memory.  A  meeting  of  distinguished  citizens 
was  held,  in  which  resolutions  were  adopted  of  simi 
lar  import ;  and  addresses  were  delivered  by  persons 
of  eminence,  which  echoed  the  public  sentiments 
prevalent  on  the  subject.  The  funeral  obsequies 
were  probably  the  most  imposing  and  extensive 
which  had  ever  been  witnessed  in  Philadelphia.  All 
the  corporate  bodies,  all  the  military  companies, 
representatives  of  all  the  public  institutions,  and 
men  of  distinction  in  every  profession  and  pursuit, 

134 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  135 

served  to  form  the  immense  procession  which  fol 
lowed  the  corpse.  Appropriate  religious  services 
took  place  in  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church ; 
during  the  progress  of  which  an  eloquent  and  appro 
priate  discourse  was  delivered  by  the  pastor,  com 
memorative  of  the  virtues  and  merits  of  the  deceased. 
His  remains  were  at  length  deposited  in  their  last 
long  home  at  Laurel  Hill  Cemetery.  A  deep  inte 
rest  was  taken  by  the  whole  community  in  these 
solemn  rites,  by  which  a  great  city  expressed  her 
admiration  for  the  services  and  her  esteem  for  the 
character  of  one  of  her  most  distinguished  citizens, 
whose  career  of  usefulness  and  celebrity  had  been 
thus  suddenly  and  prematurely  terminated. 

The  personal  appearance  of  Dr.  Kane  was  not 
such  as  would  be  anticipated  from  the  immense 
energy  wrhich  he  exhibited  and  the  wasting  labors 
which  he  endured.  He  was  below  the  medium  size 
and  weight,  not  exceeding  five  feet  and  a  half  in 
height.  But  the  energy  and  the  vivida  vis  animi  which, 
inhabited  his  frame  imparted  the  stimulus  and  the 
power  which  impelled  and  sustained  him.  It  is  said 
that  when  the  Mamelukes  of  Egypt  first  beheld  the 
diminutive  form  of  Napoleon,  they  could  scarcely 
believe  that  he  was  the  consummate  and  gifted  soldier 
whose  fame  overshadowed  the  East,  and  whose  mas 
terly  skill  had  broken  and  scattered  their  splendid 


136  ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

and  formidable  cavalry  in  the  memorable  battle  of 
the  Pyramids.  It  is  erroneous,  indeed,  always  to 
associate  great  mental  power  with  an  immense  quan 
tity  of  muscle  and  flesh,  for  they  are  rarely  combined 
together ;  and  the  case  of  Dr.  Kane  was  an  additional 
illustration  of  this  fact.  But  over  his  fragile  frame 
and  in  his  expressive  countenance  there  was  diffused 
that  stamp  of  pure  and  high  intellect,  which  always 
casts  so  undefinable  a  glory  over  the  perishable  body 
which  enshrines  it. 

A  prominent  peculiarity  of  his  mind  was  its  capa 
city  for  intense,  spasmodic,  and  prolonged  activity. 
His  faculties  were  keen,  penetrating,  vigorous,  and 
persistent.  It  was  his  fashion  to  master  every  thing 
to  which  he  seriously  devoted  his  attention.  He 
was  bold,  sometimes  even  to  rashness ;  and  to  this 
peculiar  quality  are  to  be  ascribed  many  of  the  most 
remarkable  adventures  of  his  life.  He  was  not  de 
ficient  in  self-respect ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  he  was 
marked  by  the  dignity  and  decorum  characteristic 
of  the  well-bred  gentleman.  His  scientific  attain 
ments  were  extensive,  as  his  published  works  un 
answerably  prove.  But  a  more  valuable  quality  than 
even  these  consisted  in  his  practical  shrewdness, 
energy,  stability,  and  decision  of  character.  All 
these  combined  together  were  necessary  to  constitute 
the  extraordinary  character  which  he  possessed,  and 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  137 

to  produce  the  unusual  achievements  which  he  per 
formed. 

In  reference  to  Dr.  Kane's  moral  qualities,  it 
may  with  truth  be  said  that  he  was  a  devout  man. 
In  every  country  his  thoughts  uniformly  ascended 
reverently  from  nature  to  nature's  God.  If,  amid 
the  awful  silence  of  an  Arctic  night,  when  not  the 
slightest  sound  broke  the  appalling  stillness  of  the 
scene,  he  gazed  abroad  from  the  deck  of  his  vessel 
upon  the  boundless  waste  of  frozen  seas,  mountains, 
and  headlands  which  stretched  away  for  hundreds 
of  miles  around  him  and  separated  him  from  that 
distant  world  of  life,  joy,  and  sympathy  which  he 
might  never  see  again ;  then  he  looked  upward  into 
the  solemn  depths  of  the  blue  concave  above  him, 
and  appreciating  both  the  loneliness  of  his  position 
and  the  watchfulness  of  the  common  Benefactor  of 
all,  exclaimed,  "Lord,  what  is  man,  that  thou  art 
mindful  of  him?"  If,  from  the  heights  of  Popo 
catepetl  he  surveyed  the  extended  and  diversified 
realms  where,  in  former  ages,  Mexican  arts,  civiliza 
tion,  and  power  flourished  and  covered  the  earth 
with  gorgeous  cities,  stately  palaces,  luxuriant  vege 
tation,  and  all  the  pleasing  or  impressive  monuments 
of  a  greart  and  cultivated  nation ;  if  he  contemplated 
from  his  lofty  perch  the  memorable  process  of  con-. 

fiict,  defeat,  and  subjugation  which  marked  the  era 

12* 


138  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

of  the  supremacy  of  the  mightier  but  baser  power 
of  Spain,  and  remembered  how  a  patriotic  people, 
whose  glory  has  passed  away  forever,  fought  and 
perished  for  the  freedom  and  honor  of  their  native 
land  with  a  heroism  worthy  of  a  happier  fate ;  if  he 
thus  condensed  into  a  single  view  an  epitome  of 
the  events  of  three  mournful  and  momentous  cen 
turies  of  one  of  the  most  remarkable  portions  of  the 
globe ;  it  was  to  deduce  the  great  and  wise  principle 
that,  in  all  climes  and  ages,  the  just  and  beneficent 
hand  of  Providence  controls  the  affairs  of  the  world 
in  accordance  with  his  own  purposes.  If,  within  the 
deep  ariti  burning  bosom  of  Tael  he  endeavored  to 
probe  the  undiscovered  mysteries  of  nature,  and 
boldly  ventured  where  no  foot  of  man  had  ever  be 
fore  intruded ;  it  was  to  enlarge  his  acquaintance  with 
the  instructive  volume  of  nature,  to  gain  a  clearer 
view  of  the  resources  of  the  infinite  and  the  creative, 
and  to  explode  or  confound  the  superstitious  vene 
ration  with  which  pagan  ignorance  and  idolatry  had 
invested  the  spot,  and  rendered  it  one  of  the  dark 
places  of  the  earth,  the  habitation  of  cruelty.  Every 
where  the  same  consciousness  of  the4  uncertainty  of 
his  life,  and  the  same  tendency  to  religious  senti 
ment,  as  the  result  of  it,  accompanied  him,  and  was 
exhibited  by  him;  and  hence  the  most  impartial  and 
discerning  critic  of  Dr.  Kane's  character  may  safely 


ELISHA   KANE   KANE.  139 

assert  that  he  merited  in  this  view  an  appellation 
which  is  as  rarely  deserved  as  it  is  honorable  in  the 
possession  :  he  was  a  Christian  hero. 

Proceeding  from  the  contemplation  of  this  quality, 
which  is  doubtless  one  of  the  most  commendable 
which  any  man  can  possess,  to  the  consideration  of 
other  features  of  Dr.  Kane's  character,  we  readily 
observe,  by  scrutinizing  his  history  and  his  deeds, 
that  he  was  confessedly  ambitious  of  distinction. 
Conscious  that  in  all  probability  his  life  would  be 
short,  he  desired  to  achieve  something  during  its 
brief  span  which  would  render  his  name  eminent 
among  his  cotemporaries,  and  would  transmit  it  un- 
forgotten  to  the  succeeding  generation.  This  dis 
position  displayed  itself  at  an  early  age.  He  could 
never,  indeed,  completely  overcome  his  repugnance 
to  the  study  of  languages,  and  seemed  to  be  but 
little  emulous  of  excellence  in  that  department ;  but 
in  mathematics  and  the  natural  sciences  he  possessed 
not  only  superior  capacity,  but  a  desire  and  a  de 
termination  to  excel,  even  during  the  earliest  portion 
of  his  residence  at  the  Virginia  University.  Had 
not  sickness  prematurely  terminated  his  career  in 
that  institution,  it  is  probable  that  the  bright  pro 
mise  which  he  gave,  by  his  progress  under  Professor 
Rodgers,  would  have  been  amply  realized.  And 
afterward,  in  every  important  event  of  his  life, — in 


140  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

his  arduous  studies  and  signal  success  as  a  physician ; 
in  his  desire  to  turn  to  good  advantage  his  rare 
opportunities  of  improvement  and  investigation  in 
Eastern  Asia;  in  the  determination  which  he  ex 
hibited  in  reference  to  the  exploration  of  the  mys 
terious  crater  of  Tael ;  in  the  intense  ardor  which 
inflamed  him  to  take  part  in  the  hostilities  between 
Mexico  and  the  United  States;  in  the  eagerness 
with  which  he  entered  upon  the  first  Arctic  expe 
dition  which  sailed  from  our  shores ;  in  the  uncon 
querable  resolution  with  which  he  followed  out, 
executed,  and  completed  his  second  venture  into 
that  perilous  clime;  and  in  the  self-destroying  in 
dustry  with  which  he  prepared  his  narrative  of  its 
events  for  the  press ; — in  all  these  leading  incidents 
of  his  career,  one  of  his  chief  and  controlling  motives 
of  action  was  an  honorable  desire  for  distinction. 
"Nor  does  this  quality  deserve  censure,  but  much 
rather  praise.  Nothing  so  clearly  evinces  abasement 
of  character,  and  gives  more  infallible  token  of  future 
disgrace  or  oblivion,  than  a  contempt  of  the  opinion 
of  the  wise  and  good  of  the  community ;  and  if  we 
examine  the  motive  cause  which  has  inspired  the 
most  brilliant,  useful,  and  applauded  achievements 
of  the  human  intellect  in  all  lands  and  ages,  it  will 
clearly  appear  that  this  same  honorable  ambition 
constituted  a  large  and  decisive  element  in  it. 


ELISIIA   KENT   KANE.  141 

Every  observer  of  Dr.  Kane's  career  has  been 
struck  with  the  singular  restlessness,  the  persistent 
pertinacity,  with  which  he  pursued  one  object  of 
usefulness  and  ambition  after  another.  The  key  to 
this  strange  mystery  is  to  be  found  in  the  precarious 
state  of  his  health,  and  in  the  peculiarity  of  the 
disease  which  afflicted  him.  He  was  constantly 
threatened  with  an  enlargement  of  the  heart,  re 
sulting  from  the  too  great  nourishment  to  which 
that  organ  in  his  instance  was  subjected.  In  such 
cases  inactivity  is  death;  motion,  excitement,  and 
fatigue  are  life.  There  is  no  doubt  that  his  constant 
activity  prolonged  his  existence  for  some  years;  and 
had  not  the  peculiar  nature  of  his  pursuits  entailed 
upon  him  other  diseases  in  addition  to  his  primeval 
one,  his  journey  ings  by  land  and  sea,  his  explora 
tions,  conflicts,  and  convulsive  enterprises,  would 
have  effectually  contributed  to  the  preservation  of 
his  life. 

Dr.  Kane's  mental  acquisitions,  especially  in  his 
favorite  departments,  were  accurate,  extensive,  and 
rich.  He  had  remedied  his  deficiencies  in  classical 
studies,  in  a  great  measure,  at  a  later  period.  He  had 
acquired  the  knowledge  of  a  foreign  language  even 
during  the  uneasy  and  uncomfortable  vicissitudes 
of  a  sea-voyage.  But  his  scientific  attainments  were 
of  a  high  order.  He  deserved  even  at  his  early  age 


142  ELISHA  KENT  KANE. 

the  honorable  title  of  Savant;  and,  had  he  lived, 
those  academical  honors  and  distinctions  which  such 
eminence  merits,  and  generally  secures,  would  pro 
bably  very  soon  have  been  conferred  upon  him.  His 
published  works  furnish  the  most  abundant  proof 
of  his  scientific  abilities.  We  have  already  spoken 
of  the  superior  merit  of  his  narratives  of  his  Arctic 
expeditions,  into  whose  rich  and  instructive  pages 
no  competent  reader  can  look  without  clearly  ob 
serving  repeated  indications  of  the  hand  of  a  master, 
whose  works  combine  together  in  harmonious  pro 
portion  the  brilliant  descriptions  of  a  Taylor,  the 
scientific  details  of  a  Humboldt,  and  the  romantic 
adventures  of  a  Livingstone. 

The  results  actually  accomplished  by  Dr.  Kane 
during  the  few  years  of  his  existence  are  almost  un 
paralleled.  If  we  consider  the  amount  of  physical 
•and  mental  labor,  of  active  and  sedentary  toil,  which 
he  accomplished  during  the  thirty-seven  years  of  his 
life,  it  may  well  excite  astonishment.  He  had  visited 
and  examined  the  four  grand  divisions  of  the  earth. 
He  had  acquired  a  name  and  a  place  among  the 
eminent  members  of  the  medical  profession.  He 
had  made  himself  known  by  important  and  gallant 
military  services.  He  twice  visited  and  explored  the 
most  dangerous  and  difficult  quarter  of  the  globe. 
And  he  produced  two  large  and  standard  works  in 


ELISHA  KENT  KANE.  143 

the  literature  of  scientific  travel  and  discovery.  Few 
parallels  to  so  great  activity  and  to  such  valuable 
results,  accomplished  at  so  early  an  age,  can  be  pro 
duced  in  our  history.  It  was  exceeded  only  by  the 
memorable  career  and  the  transcendent  genius  of 
Alexander  Hamilton.  With  such  a  beginning,  it 
may  very  naturally  be  supposed  that,  had  Dr.  Kane 
lived,  the  great  promise  held  out  by  his  early  man 
hood  would  have  been  amply  fulfilled ;  and  it  would 
probably  have  become  the  privilege  of  his  admirers 
eventually  to  have  characterized  him  as  the  Ameri 
can  Humboldt. 

Only  a  single  incident  occurred  in  connection  with 
the  career  of  Dr.  Kane,  which  has  elicited  from  the 
public  a  doubtful  sentiment,  and  has  occasioned 
differences  of  opinion  as  to  its  propriety.  This  was 
his  attempt  to  punish  the  desertion  of  Godfrey,  one 
of  his  crew,  by  inflicting  the  penalty  of  death 
usually  attendant  on  that  crime.  Some  assert  that 
this  act  was  necessary,  justifiable,  and  honorable, 
some,  that  it  was  illegal,  vindictive,  and  murderous. 
We  cannot  conclude  Dr.  Kane's  biography  to  better 
purpose  than  by  presenting  a  full  statement  of  the 
facts  in  reference  to  this  important  episode  in  his 
history. 

In  August,  1854,  after  the  Arctic  expedition  com 
manded  by  Dr.  Kane  had  been  absent  nearly  two 


144  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

years,  and  before  the  horrors  of  their  second  winter 
began  to  close  around  them,  some  of  the  crew  be 
came  terrified  at  the  idea  of  remaining  in  their  icy 
home ;  they  thought  that  it  would  be  impossible  to 
survive  the  rigors  which  they  would  be  compelled  to 
undergo ;  and  believed  that  they  might  yet  safely 
make  their  escape  to  the  nearest  Esquimaux  settle 
ments.  To  these  opinions  and  to  this  purpose  Dr. 
Kane  was  resolutely  opposed.  He  called  a  meeting 
of  the  officers  and  crew ;  stated  to  them  his  views ; 
and  gave  the  dissatisfied  men  permission  to  carry 
out  their  intention,  if  they  chose  so  to  do.  Eight 
persons  out  of  seventeen  determined  to  remain:  the 
rest  preferred  to  attempt  an  escape  before  the  ap 
proaching  rigors  of  winter  should  render  it  impos 
sible.  Among  this  number  was  "William  Godfrey. 

During  the  progress  of  several  succeeding  months, 
all  those  who  had  undertaken  to  escape  returned 
to  the  brig,  after  having  endured  the  utmost  hard 
ships  of  exposure,  hunger,  and  sickness.  They 
gladly  embraced  the  shelter  and  support  which 
the  vessel  afforded,  in  preference  to  perishing  upon 
the  frozen  and  uninhabited  wastes  over  which 
their  proposed  journey  lay.  By  returning  to  the 
brig,  it  must  be  manifest  to  every  rational  observer 
that  they  voluntarily  resumed  the  relations  which 
had  previously  existed  between  the  commander  and 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  145 

his  crew.  In  the  absence  of  any  new  contract  on 
the  subject,  the  continuance  of  the  pre-existent  one 
would  be  implied,  both  by  common  sense,  and  by 
the  arbitrary  principle  of  law ;  for  Dr.  Kane  was  the 
acknowledged  commander  of  the  vessel;  on  him 
rested  all  the  responsibility  of  her  fate ;  to  him  had 
been  intrusted  the  lives  and  safety  of  the  crew ;  by 
leaving  the  vessel  the  men  had  only  suspended, 
with  the  commander's  permission,  their  legal  rela 
tions  with  him ;  and  by  again  returning  within  his 
jurisdiction,  they  again  placed  themselves,  ipso  facto, 
under  his  authority.  For  no  one  will  for  a  moment 
assert  that,  by  any  perversion  of  law  or  reason,  any 
other  co-ordinate  authority  than  his  could  be  allowed 
to  exist  on  board  the  vessel ;  or  that  an  imperium 
in  imperio  could  be  established  there  by  any  possible 
means.  If  a  division  of  authority  were  a  thing  in 
any  respect  or  degree  allowable  under  such  circum 
stances,  where  was  the  encroachment  to  end  ?  where 
was  the  line  of  separation  to  be  drawn  ?  It  is  self- 
evident  that  such  a  policy  would  have  inevitably 
entailed  discord,  conflict,  and  finally  mutual  de-* 
etruction ;  and  the  dissolution  of  all  order,  security, 
and  success  in  attaining  the  purposes  of  the  expedi 
tion  would  have  ensued.  When,  therefore,  those 
who  deserted  in  August,  1854,  returned  to  the  ves 
sel,  they  did  so  from  necessity,  and  they  voluntarily 
K  13 


146  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

placed  themselves  under  the  only  jurisdiction  which 
there  existed,  or  could  exist,  not  only  by  force  of 
law,  but  also  by  reason  of  the  natural  necessity  of 
self-preservation  under  which  the  commander  and 
his  men  rested. 

Thus  matters  stood  when,  in  March,  1855,  Dr. 
Kane  discovered  among  his  crew  the  first  symptoms 
of  a  mutiny.  Godfrey  and  Blake  were  detected 
frequently  whispering  mysteriously  together;  and 
after  a  careful  scrutiny  of  their  movements  for  some 
days,  the  commander  came  to  the  deliberate  con 
viction  that  they  were  preparing  to  desert.  The 
event  clearly  established  the  truth  of  this  suspicion. 
On  the  20th  of  March  they  were  actually  detected, 
as  they  were  equipped  and  about  to  escape  over  the 
side  of  the  vessel.  The  accomplishment  of  their 
purpose  was,  for  the  moment,  defeated.  They  con 
fessed  their  intention,  asked  for  forgiveness,  were  for 
given,  and  in  an  hour  afterward  Godfrey  succeeded 
in  deserting.  As  a  matter  of  course,  his  leaving 
without  the  consent  of  his  commander  was  a  very 
different  act  from  that  of  the  previous  occasion, 
when  Dr.  Kane  gave  his  written  permission  to  all  who 
might  wish  to  leave. 

Godfrey  immediately  proceeded  to  the  nearest 
Esquimaux  settlement,  at  Etah,  ninety  miles  dis 
tant,  where  he  continued  to  reside  for  some  time. 


ELISHA   KENT   KANE.  147 

Dr.  Kane  apprehended  that  it  was  his  purpose  to 
procure  from  Hans,  the  chief  Esquimaux  friend  of 
the  expedition,  the  only  dog-sledge  which  the  settle 
ment  possessed,  and  travel  southward  with  it.  The 
services  of  this  dog-sledge  were  indispensable  to  the 
existence  of  the  crew  of  the  Advance;  for  by  its 
means  Hans  was  occasionally  able  to  convey  to  them 
some  fresh  walrus-meat.  After  enjoying  himself 
for  some  time  at  Etah,  Godfrey  returned  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  deserted  vessel  in  possession  of  the 
identical  dog-sledge  whose  assistance  was  so  inesti 
mable.  With  it  he  brought  some  fresh  provisions 
for  the  scurvy-eaten  crew.  This  act  was  in  itself 
very  commendable;  but  criminal  justice  knows 
nothing  of  set-off;  and  the  crimes  of  desertion  and 
mutiny  cannot  be  excused  or  justified  by  an  act  of 
benevolence  and  generosity.  The  example  of  God 
frey  in  boldly  defying  the  authority  under  whose 
control  the  expedition  had  been  placed ;  the  proba 
bility  that  he  had  returned  to  the  brig  in  order  to 
entice  his  former  confederate  away ;  his  evil  counsel 
and  influence  upon  the  Esquimaux  at  Etah,  by 
which  they  might  in  future  be  rendered  hostile  to  the 
members  of  the  expedition,  and  refuse  them  further 
indispensable  supplies;  these  grave  considerations 
much  overbalanced  the  trivial  weight  of  a  single  act 


148  ELISHA  KENT   KANE. 

of  generosity  in  conveying  some  food  to  tlie  starv 
ing  adventurers. 

In  truth,  the  future  safety  of  the  expedition  de 
pended  upon  the  recapture  of  Godfrey,  or  upon  the 
signal  punishment  of  his  mutiny.  Accordingly, 
when  he  approached  the  vessel,  and  his  presence 
was  discovered,  he  was  ordered  hy  the  commander 
to  come  on  board.  Neither  threats  nor  persuasions' 
produced  any  effect  upon  him.  During  a  short  in 
terval  which  ensued,  in  which  Dr.  Kane  attempted 
to  procure  the  necessary  irons  with  which  to  re 
strain  him,  he  turned  and  fled.  Then  it  was  that, 
while  he  was  still  within  practicable  range,  Dr. 
Kane  sent  a  bullet  vainly  whizzing  past  his  head. 
The  irons  in  question  were  indispensable,  inasmuch 
as  the  crew  were  all  so  much  disabled  with  scurvy 
at  that  time,  that  it  would  have  been  impossible  for 
them  to  control  Godfrey  without  some  additional 
means. 

Such  are  the  unvarnished  facts  which  appertained 
to  this  transaction.  The  justification  of  Dr.  Kane 
in  the  premises  ntust  be  clearly  evident  to  every 
impartial  observer ;  especially  when  the  bearings  of 
the  great  law  of  self-preservation  in  the  case  are 
taken  into  consideration ;  for  the  commander  greatly 
feared  the  influence  which  Godfrey  might  exert 
upon  his  indispensable  allies  at  Etah.  It  is  also 


ELISIIA   KENT   KANE.  149 

worthy  of  remark  that,  among  the  many  labored 
reviews  which  have  appeared  of  Dr.  Kane's  Narra 
tive  of  his  expedition,  in  which  all  the  preceding 
facts  are  minutely  and  boldly  described  by  him,  only 
a  single  journal  of  eminence  has  taken  an  unfavor 
able  or  a  censorious  view  of  his  attempt  to  punish 
this  dangerous  defiance  of  established  and  essential 
authority  on  the  part  of  the  deserter.* 

Having  thus  surveyed  the  life,  described  the 
genius,  and  vindicated  the  fame  of  this  remarkable 
man,  we  may  fitly  conclude  our  task  by  quoting  an 
admirable  passage  from  that  polished  and  classical 
eulogy  which  Christian  eloquence  has  so  impress 
ively  uttered  over  his  tomb : 

"  Elisha  Kent  Kane,  a  name  now  to  be  pronounced 
in  the  simple  dignity  of  history,  was  bred  in  the 
lap  of  science  and  trained  in  the  school  of  peril,  that 
he  might  consecrate  himself  to  a  philanthropic  pur 
pose  to  which  so  young  he  has  fallen  a  martyr.  The 
story  of  his  life  is  already  a  fireside  tale.  Multi 
tudes,  in  admiring  fancy,  have  retraced  his  foot 
prints.  Now,  that  that  brief  career  is  closed  in 
death,  we  recur  to  it  with  a  mournful  fondness,  from. 


*  See  the  North  British  Review  for  January,  1857.  The  article 
was  republished  in  the  American  Eclectic  Magazine,  edited  by  W.  IL 
Bidwjll,  in  the  April  number,  1857. 

13* 


150  ELISHA   KENT   KANE. 

the  daring  exploits  which  formed  the  pastime  of  his 
youth,  to  the  graver  tasks  to  which  he  brought  hia 
developed  manhood.  Though  born  to  ease  and 
elegance,  when  but  a  young  student,  used  to  acade 
mic  tastes  and  honors,  we  see  him  breaking  away 
from  the  refinements  of  life  into  the  rough  paths  of 
privation  and  danger.  Through  distant  and  varied 
regions  we  follow  him  in  his  pursuit  of  scientific 
discovery  and  adventure.  On  the  borders  of  China, 
within  the  unexplored  depths  of  the  crater  of  Luzon, 
in  India  and  Ceylon,  in  the  islands  of  the  Pacific, 
by  the  sources  of  the  Mle,  amid  the  frowning 
sphinxes  of  Egypt  and  the  classic  ruins  of  Greece, 
along  the  fevered  coast  of  Africa,  on  the  embattled 
plains  of  Mexico,  we  behold  him  everywhere  blend 
ing  the  enthusiasm  of  the  scholar  with  the  daring 
of  the  soldier  and  the  research  of  the  man  of  science. 
The  nation  takes  him  to  its  heart  with  patriotic 
pride.  In  hopeful  fancy,  a  still  brighter  career  is 
pictured  before  him, — when,  alas !  the  vision,  while 
yet  it  dazzles,  dissolves  in  tears.  "We  awake  to  the 
sense  of  a  loss  which  no  contemporary  at  his  age 
could  occasion."* 


*  See  Funeral  Discourse  delivered  by  Rev.  Charles  W.  Shields,  in 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia,  on  the  occasion  of  Dr. 
Kane's  obsequies. 


PART  II. 

JOHN  CHARLES  FREMONT 


CHAPTER  I. 
FREMONT'S  YOUTH  AND  FIRST  EXPEDITIONS. 

JOHN  CHARLES  FREMONT  was  born  in  Savannah, 
Georgia,  in  January,  1813.  He  was  the  eldest  son 
of  a  French  emigrant  of  the  same  name,  who  had 
fled  to  the  New  World  from  the  destructive  and 
terrific  storms  of  the  first  French  Revolution, — and 
Ann  Beverly  Whiting,  a  native  of  Gloucester  county, 
Virginia,  whose  family,  belonging  to  the  most 
respectable  and  aristocratic  circle  in  the  State,  was 
related  to  that  of  George  Washington.  Fremont's 
father  died  in  1818,  and  the  widowed  mother  then 
removed  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  which  city 
was  destined  to  be  the  scene  of  the  youthful  sports 
and  studies  of  one  of  the  boldest  and  most  gifted  of 
American  Explorers. 

Fremont's  first  opportunities  of  mental  improve 
ment  were  obtained  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Mitchell,  a 

151 


152  JOHN  C.  FREMONT. 

distinguished  attorney  of  Charleston.  But  soon  his 
marked  displays  of  ability  and  of  progress  induced 
his  benefactor  to  place  him  under  the  tuition  of  a 
professional  instructor,  Dr.  Robertson,  who  at  that 
time  conducted  a  select  school  in  the ,  capital  of  the 
State.  Under  this  tutor  Fremont's  progress  was 
very  remarkable,  and  has  been  commemorated  by  a 
labored  panegyric  from  the  pen  of  his  venerable  in  - 
structor.  His  subsequent  connection  with  Charleston 
College  is  said  to  have  been  suspended  by  his  ardent 
attachment  to  a  young  lady  of  West  Indian  birth ; 
nor  could  either  encouragements  or  threats  dissolve 
the  potent  spell  which  her  transcendent  beauty 
had  cast  upon  him.  His  neglect  of  his  studies  at 
length  procured  his  expulsion  from  the  institution, — 
although  at  a  subsequent  period  that  stigma  was 
removed. 

This  misfortune  produced  no  permanent  injury  to 
his  prospects.  "With  the  elastic  power  which  youth 
and  genius  alone  possess,  Fremont  soon  began  to 
appreciate  the  importance  of  devoting  his  energies 
to  some  settled  plan  of  life.  He  commenced  to 
teach  mathematics  to  a  few  youths  of  his  acquaint 
ance,  and  he  also  took  charge  of  a  regular  evening 
school.  In  1833,  an  opportunity  occurred  in  which 
he  could  employ  his  talents  and  attainments  in  a 
higher  and  more  extended  sphere.  The  sloop-of- 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  153 

war  Natchez  was  sent  by  Jackson  to  the  port  of 
Charleston,  to  aid  in  suppressing  the  movements 
and  the  resistance  of  the  famous  Nullifiers;  and 
Fremont  obtained  the  appointment  of  teacher  of 
mathematics  on  board  of  that  vessel.  He  was  then 
just  twenty  years  of  age.  During  two  years  and  a 
half  he  traveled  with  those  who  had  been  placed 
under  his  tuition  during  the  cruise  of  the  ship. 

On  his  return  from  this  expedition,  Fremont  re 
solved  to  devote  his  attention  to  the  science  of  sur 
veying  and  railroad-engineering.  He  made  his  first 
attempt  in  the  examination  of  the  projected  route 
of  the  railway  between  Charleston  and  Augusta. 
In  the  execution  of  this  task  he  explored  a  large 
portion  of  South  Carolina  and  Tennessee;  and 
amid  the  wild  and  rugged  scenery  which  surrounded 
his  path,  he  first  acquired  a  fondness  for  those 
gigantic  monuments  and  stupendous  solitudes  of 
nature  among  which,  afterward,  in  a  far-distant 
sphere,  his  chief  triumphs  and  most  remarkable 
achievements  were  destined  to  lie.  Having  finished 
his  task  here,Jie  entered  upon  another  reconnoissance 
of  a  portion  of  Georgia,  North  Carolina,  and  Ten 
nessee,  in  company  with  a  body  of  Cherokee  Indians. 
The  dreary  months  of  the  winter  passed  away  in  the 
execution  of  this  work ;  and  in  the  ensuing  spring 
he  proceeded  to  explore  the  waters  and  the  territo- 


154  JOHN   C.  FKEMONT. 

ries  of  the  Upper  Mississippi,  under  the  guidance 
of  M.  Nicollet,  a  French  savan  of  ability  and  dis 
tinction. 

The  years  of  1838  and  1839  were  employed  by 
Fremont  in  the  active  duties  of  his  appointment. 
He  explored  the  greater  part  of  the  vast  region 
lying  between  the  Missouri  and  the  upper  rivers. 
After  his  return,  a  year  was  occupied  in  preparing 
for  publication  the  abundant  materials  which  his 
extended  and  acute  observation  had  placed  at  his 
command.  A  labored  narrative,  accompanied  with 
maps  and  illustrations,  was  completed, — to  the  accu 
racy  and  value  of  which  Fremont's  labors  contri 
buted  no  insignificant  share.  In  1841,  he  received 
an  order  from  Government  to  make  a  thorough 
examination  of  the  river  Des  Moines,  in  Iowa, — on  the 
banks  of  which  the  Fox  and  Sac  Indians  still  re 
tained  their  simple  and  primeval  abodes.  He  suc 
cessfully  performed  his  task ;  and  immediately  on 
his  return  to  Washington  he  married  the  daughter 
of  Senator  Benton,  of  Missouri,  to  whom  he  had 
been  for  some  time  engaged.  The.  ardent  and 
youthful  lovers  thus  united  their  destinies,  in  spite 
of  the  most  strenuous  opposition  of  the  parents  of 
the  beautiful  and  determined  bride. 

A  few  months  only  were  appropriated  by  the 
happy  pair  to  the  enjoyment  of  hymeneal  bliss ;  for 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  155 

Fremont  had  already  been  led  to  entertain  large  and 
expansive  views  in  reference  to  the  importance  and 
grandeur  of  scientific  explorations  throughout  the 
immense  territories  of  the  West;  and  he  was  eager 
to  commence  the  realization  of  his  glowing  concep 
tions.  He  had  already  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  high 
sphere  and  destiny  for  which  his  rare  talents  fitted 
him.  The  exploration,  the  settlement,  the  civiliza 
tion  of  the  vast  territories  of  the  remoter  West  con 
stitute  one  of  those  magnificent  and  gorgeous  trans 
formations  which  are  inherent  in  the  progress  and 
history  of  this  continent ;  and  those  capacious  and 
sagacious  minds  which  are  able  to  grasp  the  full 
grandeur  of  the  conception  appreciate  the  importance, 
as  well  as  the  difficulty  and  the  glory,  of  its  realiza 
tion.  The  intellect  of  Fremont  was  one  of  these. 
He  perceived  the  inevitable  destiny  reserved  in  the 
future  for  this  portion  of  an  almost  boundless  con 
tinent  ;  he  saw  that  with  advancing  time  the  teem 
ing  and  enterprising  millions  who  then  crowded  the 
Atlantic  States  would  burst  through  their  original 
confines,  and,  like  the  multitudinous  waves  of  the 
ocean,  would  rush  forth,  swelling  over  mountains, 
plains,  and  valleys,  until  their  advancing  billows 
would  spread  themselves  out  at  last  over  the  expan 
sive  shores  of  the  Pacific  deep.  He  resolved  to  devote 
his  talents  and  energies  to  the  accomplishment  of 


156  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

the  preliminary  steps  which  were  necessary  to  the 
fulfilment  of  this  destiny;  and  to  explore,  define, 
and  estimate  the  mighty  realms  which,  though 
fated  soon  to  become  the  triumphant  highway 
of  great  nations,  remained  at  that  period  a  mys 
terious  and  un/amiliar  solitude. 

Impressed  with  these  grand  conceptions,  Mr. 
Fremont,  early  in  May,  1842,  applied  to  Colonel 
Ahert,  the  able  chief  of  the  Topographical  Corps 
at  Washington,  for  permission  to  explore  the  fron 
tier  lying  beyond  the  Mississippi,  together  with  the 
Rocky  Mountains, — and  especially  that  portion 
which  lay  in  the  vicinity  of  the  South  Pass ;  with 
particular  reference  to  obtaining  information  in 
reference  to  the  most  suitable  and  convenient  route 
to  be  selected  for  the  line  of  emigrant-travel  across 
the  mountains.  By  the  end  of  May,  permission 
had  been  granted  and  the  necessary  preparations 
completed.  The  indispensable  philosophical  instru 
ments,  arms,  ammunition,  and  stores  were  provided, 
and  twenty-five  voyageurs  were  selected  to  accom 
pany  the  bold  adventurer  in  his  daring  and  dan 
gerous  journey. 

Fremont  pursued  his  route  along  the  bed  of  the 
Platte  River  and  carefully  explored  the  famous 
South  Pass.  He  thence  proceeded  to  the  Wind 
River  Peak  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  returned 


JOHN  C.  FBEMONT.  157 

by  way  of  the  Loup  fork  of  the  Platte  Biver.  Many 
thrilling  incidents  and  perilous  escapes  attended 
his  progress  during  this  expedition.  At  Fort  La- 
ramie,  hundreds  of  miles  from  the  extreme  limits 
of  civilization,  he  found  himself  surrounded  by 
hostile  and  treacherous  Indians.  Destruction  seemed 
to  threaten  his  farther  advance.  The  boldest  and 
most  experienced  guides  warned  him  not -to  con 
tinue  his  journey.  Even  "Kit  Carson,"  whose 
fortitude  and  heroism  have  long  been  famous  amid 
the  primeval  solitudes  and  imminent  perils  of  the 
remoter  West,  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  state 
of  the  country  through  which  they  proposed  to 
travel  was  exceedingly  dangerous.  But  nothing 
could  deter  the  daring  adventurer  from  the  pro 
secution  of  his  appointed  work.  "While  dining 
at  Fort  Platte,  a  party  of  hostile  Indians  came 
in,  who  endeavored  to  persuade  the  travellers  not 
to  venture  farther.  A  conference  was  held  with 
them.  Complaints  of  hostility  and  aggression  were 
made  on  both  sides.  One  of  the  tawny  braves, 
named  the  BuWs  Tail,  was  chief  spokesman  for  the 
savages,  and  declaimed  with  no  mean  energy  and 
effect  respecting  the  injuries  and  the  encroachments 
of  the  whites.  The  council  was  at  last  abruptly 
broken  up,  and  Fremont  determined  to  advance, 

regardless  of  the  apprehensions  which  had  already 

14 


158  JOHN    C.  FREMONT. 

been  excited.  The  event  justified  his  determina 
tion.  The  Indians,  overawed  by  his  resolution 
and  self-reliance,  and  dreading  the  superior  effi 
ciency  of  the  fire-arms  of  the  party,  assailed  them 
no  more. 

Fremont's  route  lay  among  the  rugged  peaks 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  which  he  thoroughly 
explored.  He  carefully  made  observations  with 
the  barometer  and  with  the  scientific  instruments 
with  which  he  was  provided.  He  ascended,  after 
infinite  labor  and  risk,  the  lofty  summit  of  the 
Wind  River  Peak,  the  highest  eminence  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  which  had  never  before  been 
trodden  by  the  adventurous  foot  of  man.  It  rises 
nearly  fourteen  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea ;  and  the  view  which  greeted  his  eye  from 
this  magnificent  elevation  was  as  extended  and  as 
sublime  as  the  imagination  of  man  can  conceive. 
Toward  the  west,  innumerable  lakes  and  streams 
poured  their  abundant  waters  toward  the  bosom  of 
the  Pacific  and  the  Gulf  of  California.  In  another 
direction  the  pellucid  fountains  glittered  to  his  view 
from  which  flowed  the  sources  of  the  great  Missouri 
River.  To  the  north,  an  endless  array  of  snowy 
mountains  stretched  away  in  the  distance.  Nearer 
at  hand,  the  rugged  and  diversified  outlines  of  the 
neighboring  crags  and  eminences  appeared  more 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  159 

distinctly.  Fremont  stood  on  a  point  which  towered 
three  thousand  five  hundred  feet  above  all  the  sur 
rounding  objects.  The  rocky  apex  of  the  mountain 
he  found  to  be  composed  of  gneiss.  On  that  sum 
mit  he  made  various  scientific  observations,  and  at 
length  descended  from  his  perilous  position  without 
accident.  His  only  companion  during  this  aeriel 
excursion  was  a  summer  bee,  the  welcome  pioneer 
of  civilization,  which,  as  the  bold  explorer  was 
gazing  from  the  summit  upon  the  distant  and  diver 
sified  realms  beneath  him,  came  within  his  friendly 
grasp,  borne  along  upon  the  highest  breezes  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

This  memorable  ascent  and  its  accompanying 
incidents  deserve  to  be  narrated  in  the  vivid  lan 
guage  of  the  explorer  himself : — 

""When  we  had  secured  strength  for  the  day 
(August  15)  by  a  hearty  breakfast,  we  covered  what 
remained,  which  was  enough  for  one  meal,  with 
rocks,  in  order  that  it  might  be  safe  from  any  ma 
rauding  bird,  and,  saddling  our  mules,  turned  our 
faces  once  more  toward  the  peaks.  This  time  we 
determined  to  proceed  quietly  and  cautiously,  deli 
berately  resolved  to  accomplish  our  object  if  it  were 
within  the  compass  of  human  means.  "We  were  of 
opinion  that  a  long  defile  which  lay  to  the  left  of 
yesterday's  route  would  lead  us  to  the  foot  of  the 


160  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

main  peak.  Our  mules  had  been  refreshed  by  the 
fine  grass  in  the  little  ravine  at  the  Island  camp, 
and  we  intended  to  ride  up  the  defile  as  far  as  pos 
sible,  in  order  to  husband  our  strength  for  the  main 
ascent.  Though  this  was  a  fine  passage,  still,  it  was 
a  defile  of  the  most  rugged  mountains  known,  and 
we  had  many  a  rough  and  steep  slippery  place  to 
cross  before  reaching  the  end.  In  this  place  the 
sun  rarely  shone ;  snow  lay  along  the  border  of  the 
small  stream  which  flowed  through  it,  and  occa 
sional  icy  passages  made  the  footing  of  the  mules 
very  insecure,  and  the  rocks  and  ground  were  moist 
with  the  trickling  waters  in  this  spring  of  mighty 
rivers.  "We  soon  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  our 
selves  riding  along  the  huge  wall  which  forms  the 
central  summits  of  the  chain.  There  at  last  it  rose 
by  our  sides,  a  nearly  perpendicular  wall  of  granite, 
terminating  two  thousand  to  three  thousand  feet 
above  our  heads  in  a  serrated  line  of  broken,  jagged 
cones.  "We  rode  on  until  we  came  almost  imme 
diately  below  the  main  peak,  which  I  denominated 
the  Snow  Peak,  as  it  exhibited  more  snow  to  the 
eye  than  any  of  the  neighboring  summits.  Here 
were  three  small  lakes  of  a  green  color,  each  of 
perhaps  a  thousand  yards  in  diameter,  and  appa 
rently  very  deep.  These  lay  in  a  kind  of  chasm, 
and,  according  to  the  barometer,  we  had  attained 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  161 

out  a  few  hundred  feet  above  the  island  lake.  The 
barometer  here  stood  at  20.450,  attached  thermo 
meter  70°. 

"We  managed  to  get  our  mules  up  to  a  little 
bench  about  a  hundred  feet  above  the  lakes,  and 
turned  them  loose  to  graze.  During  our  rough 
ride  to  this  place  they  had  exhibited  a  wonderful 
surefootedness.  Parts  of  the  defile  were  filled  with 
angular,  sharp  fragments  of  rock,  three  or  four  and 
eight  or  ten  feet  cubic;  and  among  these  they  had 
worked  their  way,  leaping  from  one  narrow  point  to 
another,  rarely  making  a  false  step,  and  giving  us 
no  occasion  to  dismount.  Having  divested  our 
selves  of  every  unnecessary  encumbrance,  we  com 
menced  the  ascent.  This  time,  like  experienced 
travellers,  we  did  not  press  ourselves,  but  climbed 
leisurely,  sitting  down  so  soon  as  we  found  breath 
beginning  to  fail.  At  intervals  we  reached  places 
where  a  number  of  springs  gushed  from  the  rocks, 
and  about  one  thousand  eight  hundred  feet  above 
the  lakes  came  to  the  snow-line.  From  this  point 
our  progress  was  uninterrupted  climbing.  Hitherto 
I  had  worn  a  pair  of  thick  moccasins,  with  soles  of 
parfldche,  but  here  I  put  on  a  light,  thin  pair,  which 
I  had  brought  for  the  purpose,  as  now  the  use  of 
our  toes  became  necessary  to  a  further  advance.  I 

availed  myself  of  a  sort  of  comb  of  the  mountain, 
L  u* 


162  JOHN  C.  FREMONT. 

which  stood  against  the  wall  like  a  buttress,  and 
which  the  wind  and  the  solar  radiation,  joined  to 
the  steepness  of  the  smooth  rock,  had  kept  almost 
entirely  free  from  snow.  Up  this  I  made  my  way 
rapidly.  Our  cautious  method  of  advancing  in  the 
outset  had  spared  my  strength;  and,  with  the  ex- 
option  of  a  slight  disposition  to  headache,  I  felt  no 
^emains  of  yesterday's  illness.  In  a  few  minutes 
we  reached  a  point  where  the  buttress  was  over 
hanging,  and  there  was  no  other  way  of  surmount 
ing  the  difficulty  than  by  passing  around  one  side 
of  it,  which  was  the  face  of  a  vertical  precipice  of 
several  hundred  feet. 

"  Putting  hands  and  feet  in  the  crevices  between 
the  blocks,  I  succeeded  in  getting  over  it,  and,  when 
I  reached  the  top,  found  my  companions  in  a  small 
valley  below.  Descending  to  them,  we  continued 
climbing,  and  in  a  short  time  reached  the  crest.  I 
sprang  upon  the  summit,  and  another  step  would 
have  precipitated  me  into  an  immense  snow-field 
five  hundred  feet  below.  To  the  edge  of  this  field 
was  a  sheer  icy  precipice ;  and  then,  with  a  gradual 
fall,  the  field  sloped  off  for  about  a  mile,  until  it 
struck  the  foot  of  another  lower  ridge.  I  stood  on 
a  narrow  crest,  about  three  feet  in  width,  with  an 
inclination  of  about  20°  K  51°  E.  As  soon  as  I  had 
gratified  the  first  feeling  of  curiosity,  I  descended, 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  163 

and  each  man  ascended  in  his  turn;  for  I  would 
only  allow  one  at  a  time  to  mount  the  unstable  and 
precarious  slab,  which  it  seemed  a  breath  would 
hurl  into  the  abyss  below.  We  mounted  the  baro 
meter  in  the  snow  of  the  summit,  'and,  fixing  a 
ramrod  in  a  crevice,  unfurled  the  national  flag  to 
wave  in  the  breeze  where  never  flag  wraved  before. 
During  our  morning's  ascent,  we  had  met  no  sign 
of  animal  life,  except  the  small  sparrow-like  bird 
already  mentioned.  A  stillness  the  most  profound, 
and  a  terrible  solitude,  forced  themselves  constantly 
on  the  mind  as  the  great  features  of  the  place. 
Here,  on  the  summit,  where  the  stillness  was  abso 
lute,  unbroken  by  any  sound,  and  the  solitude  com 
plete,  we  thought  ourselves  beyond  the  region  of 
animated  life;  but  while  we  were  sitting  on  the 
rock,  a  solitary  bee  (bromus,  the  humble-bee)  came 
winging  his  flight  from  the  eastern  valley,  and  lit 
on  the  knee  of  one  of  the  men. 

"It  was  a  strange  place — the  icy  rock  and  the 
highest  peak  of  the  Eocky  Mountains — for  a  lover 
of  warm  sunshine  and  flowers;  and  we  pleased 
ourselves  with  the  idea  that  he  was  the  first  of  his 
species  to  cross  the  mountain-barrier, — a  solitary 
pioneer  to  foretell  the  advance  of  civilization.  I 
believe  that  a  moment's  thought  would  have  made 
us  let  him  continue  his  way  unharmed ;  but  \ve 


164  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

carried  out  the  law  of  this  country,  where  all  ani 
mated  nature  seems  at  war,  and,  seizing  him  imme 
diately,  put  him  in  at  least  a  fit  place, — in  the  leaves 
of  a  large  book,  among  the  flowers  we  had  collected 
on  our  way.  The  barometer  stood  at  18.293,  the 
attached  thermometer  at  44° ;  giving  for  the  eleva 
tion  of  this  summit  thirteen  thousand  five  hundred 
and  seventy  feet  above  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  which 
may  be  called  the  highest  flight  of  the  bee.  It  is 
certainly  the  highest  known  flight  of  that  insect. 
From  the  description  given  by  Mackenzie  of  the 
mountains  where  he  crossed  them,  with  that  of  a 
French  officer  still  farther  to  the  north,  and  Colonel 
Long's  measurements  to  the  south,  joined  to  the 
opinion  of  the  oldest  traders  of  the  country,  it  is 
presumed  that  this  is  the  highest  peak  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  The  day  was  sunny  and  bright,  but  a 
slight  shining  mist  hung  over  the  lower  plains, 
which  interfered  with  our  view  of  the  surrounding 
country.  On  one  side  we  overlooked  innumerable 
lakes  and  streams,  the  spring  of  the  Colorado  of 
the  Gulf  of  California,  and  on  the  other  was  the 
Wind  Biver  Valley,  where  were  the  heads  of  the 
Yellowstone  branch  of  the  Missouri ;  far  to  the 
north,  we  just  could  discover  the  snowy  heads  of  the 
Trois  Tetons,  where  were  the  source  of  the  Missouri 
and  Columbia  Rivers;  and  at  the  southern  extremity 


JOHN  C.  FREMONT.  165 

of  the  ridge,  the  peaks  were  plainly  visible  among 
which  were  some  of  the  springs  of  the  Nebraska  or 
Platte  River.  Around  us,  the  whole  scene  had  one 
main  striking  feature,  which  was  that  of  terrible 
convulsion.  Parallel  to  its  length,  the  ridge  was 
split  into  chasms  and  fissures,  between  which  rose 
the  thin  lofty  walls,  terminated  with  slender  mina 
rets  and  columns.  According  to  the  barometer,  the 
little  crest  of  the  wall  on  which  we  stood  was  three 
thousand  five  hundred  and  seventy  feet  above  that 
place,  and  two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty 
above  the  little  lakes  at  the  bottom,  .immediately  at 
our  feet.  Our  camp  at  the  Two  Hills  (an  astrono 
mical  station)  bore  south  3°  east,  which,  with  a 
bearing  afterward  obtained  from  a  fixed  position, 
enabled  us  to  locate  the  peak.  The  bearing  of  the 
Trois  Tetons  was  north  50°  west,  and  the  direction 
of  the  central  bridge  of  the  Wind  Eiver  Mountains 
south  39°  east. 

"The  summit-rock  was  gneiss,  succeeded  by 
sienitic  gneiss.  Sienite  and  feldspar  succeeded  in 
our  descent  to  the  snow-line,  where  we  found  a 
feldspathic  granite.  I  had  remarked  that  the  noise 
produced  by  the  explosion  of  our  pistols  had  the 
usual  degree  of  loudness,  but  was  not  in  the  least 
prolonged,  expiring  almost  instantaneously.  Having 
now  made  what  observations  our  means  afforded, 


166  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

we  proceeded  to  descend.  We  had  accomplished 
an  object  of  laudable  ambition,  and  beyond  the 
strict  order  of  our  instructions.  "We  had  climbed 
the  loftiest  peak  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and 
looked  down  upon  the  snow  a  thousand  feet  below, 
and,  standing  where  never  human  foot  had  stood 
before,  felt  the  exultation  of  first  explorers.  It  was 
about  two  o'clock  when  we  left  the  summit;  and 
when,  we  reached  the  bottom  the  sun  had  already 
sunk  behind  the  wall  and  the  day  was  drawing  to  a 
close.  It  would  have  been  pleasant  to  have  lingered 
here  and  on  the  summit  longer;  but  we  hurried 
away  as  rapidly  as  the  ground  would  permit,  for  it 
was  an  object  to  regain  our  party  as  soon  as  possible, 
not  knowing  what  accident  the  next  hour  might 
bring  forth. 

"  We  reached  our  deposit  of  provisions  at  night 
fall.  Here  was  not  the  inn  which  awaits  the  tired 
traveller  on  his  return  from  Mont  Blanc,  or  the 
orange-groves  of  South  America,  with  their  refresh 
ing  juices  and  soft  fragrant  air;  but  we  found  our 
little  cache  of  dried  meat  and  coffee  undisturbed. 
Though  the  moon  was  bright,  the  road  was  full 
of  precipices,  and  the  fatigue  of  the  day  had  been 
great.  We  therefore  abandoned  the  idea  of  rejoin 
ing  our  friends,  and  lay  down  on  the  rocl$,  and,  in 
spite  of  the  cold,  slept  soundly." 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  167 

"August  24. — We  started  before  sunrise,  intend 
ing  to  breakfast  at  Goat  Island.  Mr.  Preuss  ac 
companied  me,  and  with  us  were  five  of  our  best 
men.  Here  appeared  no  scarcity  of  water;  and 
we  took  on  board,  with  various  instruments  and 
baggage,  provisions  for  ten  or  twelve  days.  We 
paddled  down  the  river  rapidly,  for  our  little  craft 
was  light  as  a  duck  on  the  water ;  and  the  sun  had 
been  some  time  risen,  when  we  heard  before  us  a 
hollow  roar,  which  we  supposed  to  be  that  of  a  fall, 
of  which  we  had  heard  a  vague  rumor,  but  whose 
exact  locality  no  one  had  been  able  to  describe  to 
us.  "We  were  approaching  a  ridge,  through  which 
the  river  passes  by  a  place  called  '  canon,'  (pro 
nounced  canyon,)  a  Spanish  word  signifying  a  piece 
of  artillery,  the  barrel  of  a  gun,  or  any  kind  of 
tube,  and  which,  in  this  country,  has  been  adopted 
to  describe  the  passage  of  a  river  between  perpen 
dicular  rocks  of  great  height,  which  frequently 
approach  each  other  so  closely  overhead  as  to  form 
a  kind  of  tunnel  over  the  stream,  which  foams 
along  below,  half  choked  up  by  fallen  fragments. 

"We  passed  three  cataracts  in  succession,  where 
perhaps  one  hundred  feet  of  smooth  water  inter 
vened,  and  finally,  with  a  shout  of  pleasure  at  our 
success,  issued  from  our  tunnel  into  open  day 
beyond.  We  were  so  delighted  with  the  perform- 


168  JOHN    C.  FREMONT. 

ance  of  our  boat,  and  so  confident  in  her  powers, 
that  we  would  not  have  hesitated  to  leap  a  fall  of 
ten  feet  with  her.  "We  put  to  shore  for  breakfast  at 
some  willows  on  the  right  bank,  immediately  below 
the  mouth  of  the  canon ;  for  it  was  now  eight 
o'clock,  and  we  had  been  working  since  daylight, 
and  were  all  wet,  fatigued,  and  hungry. 

"We  re-embarked  at  nine  o'clock,  and  in  about 
twenty  minutes  reached  the  next  canon.  Landing 
on  a  rocky  shore  at  its  commencement,  we  ascended 
the  ridge  to  reconnoitre.  Portage  was  out  of  the 
question.  So  far  as  we  could  see,  the  jagged  rocks 
pointed  out  the  course  of  the  canon,  on  a  wending 
line  of  seven  or  eight  miles.  It  was  simply  a  narrow, 
dark  chasm  in  the  rock;  and  here  the  perpendicular 
faces  were  much  higher  than  in  the  previous  pass, — 
being  at  this  end  two  hundred  to  three  hundred,  and 
farther  down,  as  we  afterward  ascertained,  five  hun 
dred  feet  in  vertical  height.  Our  previous  success  had 
made  us  bold,  and  we  determined  again  to  run  the 
cafion.  Every  thing  was  secured  as  firmly  as  possible, 
and,  having  divested  ourselves  of  the  greater  part  of 
our  clothing,  we  pushed  into  the  stream.  To  save  our 
chronometer  from  accident,  Mr.  Preuss  took  it  and 
attempted  to  proceed  along  the  shore  on  the  masses  • 
of  rock,  which  in  places  were  piled  up  on  either 
side;  but,  after  he  had  walked  about  five  minutes, 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  169 

every  tiling  like  shore  disappeared,  and  the  vertical 
wall  came  squarely  down  into  the  water.  He  there 
fore  waited  until  we  came  up.  An  ugly -pass  lay 
before  us.  "We  had  made  fast  to  the  stern  of  the 
boat  a  strong  rope  about  fifty  feet  long,  and  three 
of  the  men  clambered  along  among  the  rocks  and 
with  this  rope  let  her  down  slowly  through  the  pass. 
In  several  places  high  rocks  lay  scattered  about  in 
the  channel;  and  in  the  narrows  it  required  all  our 
strength  and  skill  to  avoid  staving  the  boat  on  the 
sharp  points.  In  one  of  these  the  boat  proved  a 
little  too  broad,  and  stuck  fast  for  an  instant,  while 
the  water  flew  over  us :  fortunately,  it  was  but  for 
an  instant,  'as  our  united  strength  forced  her  imme 
diately  through.  The  water  swept  overboard  only 
a  sextant  and  a  pair  of  saddle-bags.  I  caught  the 
sextant  as  it  passed  by  me,  but  the  saddle-bags 
became  the  prey  of  the  whirlpools.  We  reached 
the  place  where  Mr.  Preuss  was  standing,  took  him 
on  board,  and,  with  the  aid  of  the  boat,  put  the 
men  with  the  rope  on  the  succeeding  pile  of  rocks. 
We  found  this  passage  much  worse  than  the  pre 
vious  one,  and  our  position  was  rather  a  bad  one. 
To  go  back  was  impossible ;  before  us  the  cataract 
was  a  sheet  of  foam,  and,  shut  up  in  the  chasm  by 
the  rocks,  which  in  some  places  seemed  almost  to 

meet  overhead,  the  roar  of  water  was   deafening. 

15 


170  JOHN   C.   FREMONT.. 

We  pushed  off  again;  but,  after  making  a  little 
distance,  the  force  of  the  current  became  too  great 
for  the  men  on  shore,  and  two  of  them  let  go  the 
rope.  Lajeunesse,  the  third  man,  hung  on,  and  was 
jerked  head-foremost  into  the  river  from  a  rock 
about  twelve  feet  high;  and  down  the  boat  shot 
like  an  arrow,  Basil  following  us  in  the  rapid  cur 
rent,  and  exerting  all  his  strength  to  keep  in  mid- 
channel, — his  head  only  seen  occasionally,  like  a  black 
spot  in  the  white  foam.  How  far  he  went  I  do  not 
exactly  know,  but  we  succeeded  in  turning  the  boat 
into  an  eddy  below.  lCre  DieuT  said  Basil  Lajeu 
nesse,  as  he  arrived  immediately  after  us ;  'je  crois 
bien  que  fai  nag&  un  demi  mille.'  He  had  owed  his 
life  to  his  skill  as  a  swimmer,  and  I  determined  to 
take  him  and  the  two  others  on  board  and  trust  to 
skill  and  fortune  to  reach  the  other  end  in  safety. 
We  placed  ourselves  on  our  knees,  with  the  short 
paddles  in  our  hands,  the  most  skilful  boatman 
being  at  the  bow,  and  again  we  commenced  our 
rapid  descent. 

"We  cleared  rock  after  rock,  and  shot  past  fall 
after  fall,  our  little  boat  seeming  to  play  with  the 
cataract.  We  became  flushed  with  success  and 
familiar  with  the  danger,  and,  yielding  to  the  ex 
citement  of  the  occasion,  broke  forth  together  into 
a  Canadian  boat-song.  Singing,  or  rather  shouting, 


JOHN   C.   FREMONT.  171 

we  dashed  along,  and  were,  I  believe,  in  the  midst 
of  the  chorus,  when  the  boat  struck  a  concealed 
rock  immediately  at  the  foot  of  a  fall,  which  whirled 
her  over  in  an  instant.  Three  of  our  men  could  not 
swim,  and  my  first  feeling  was  to  assist  them  and 
save  some  of  our  effects ;  but  a  sharp  concussion  or 
two  convinced  me  that  I  had  not  yet  saved  myself. 
A  few  strokes  brought  me  into  an  eddy,  and  I  landed 
on  a  pile  of  rocks  on  the  left  side.  Looking  around, 
I  saw  that  Mr.  Preuss  had  gained  the  shore  on  the 
same  side,  about  twenty  yards  below ;  and  a  little 
climbing  and  swimming  soon  brought  him  to  my 
side.  On  the  opposite  side,  against  the  wall,  lay 
the  boat,  bottom  up ;  and  Lambert  was  in  the  act 
of  saving  Descoteaux,  whom  he  had  grasped  by  the 
hair,  and  who  could  not  swim.  'Lache  pas,'  said 
he,  as  I  afterward  learned, — <  Idche  pas,  cher  frbre.' 
'Grains  pas,1  was  the  reply;  'je  m'en  vais  mourir  avant 
que  de  te  lacker.1  Such  was  the  reply  of  courage  and 
generosity  in  the  danger.  For  a  hundred  yards 
below,  the  current  was  covered  with  floating  books 
and  boxes,  bales  and  blankets,  and  scattered  articles 
of  clothing;  and  so  strong  and  boiling  was  the 
stream,  that  even  our  heavy  instruments,  which 
were  all  in  cases,  kept  on  the  surface,  and  the 
sextant,  circle,  and  the  long,  black  box  of  the  tele 
scope,  were  in  view  at  once.  For  a  moment  I  was 


172  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

somewhat  disheartened.  All  our  books,  almost 
every  record  of  the  journey,  our  journals  and  re 
gisters  of  astronomical  and  barometrical  observa 
tions,  had  been  lost  in  a  moment.  But  it  was  no 
time  to  indulge  in  regrets;  and  I  immediately  set 
about  endeavoring  to  save  something  from  the 
wreck.  Making  ourselves  understood  as  well  as 
possible  by  signs,  (for  nothing  could  be  heard  in  the 
roar  of  waters,)  we  commenced  our  operations.  Of 
every  thing  on  board,  the  only  article  that  had  been 
saved  was  my  double-barrelled  gun,  which  Desco- 
teaux  had  caught  and  clung  to  with  drowning 
tenacity.  The  men  continued  down  the  river  on 
the  left  bank.  Mr.  Preuss  and  myself  descended 
on  the  side  we  were  on;  and  Lajeunesse,  with  a 
paddle  in  his  hand,  jumped  on  the  boat  alone  and 
continued  down  the  canon.  She  was  now  light,  and 
cleared  every  bad  place  with  much  less  difficulty. 
In  a  short  time  he  was  joined  by  Lambert,  and  the 
search  was  continued  for  about  a  mile  and  a  half, 
which  was  as  far  as  the  boat  could  proceed  in  the 
pass. 

"Here  the  walls  were  about  five  hundred  feet  high, 
and  the  fragments  of  rocks  from  above  had  choked 
the  river  into  a  hollow  pass  but  one  or  two  feet  above 
the  surface.  Through  this  and  the  interstices  of 
the  rock  the  water  found  its  way.  Favored  beyond 


JOHN    C.  FREMONT.  173 

our  expectations,  all  of  our  registers  had  been  re 
covered,  with  the  exception  of  one  of  my  journals, 
which  contained  the  notes  and  incidents  of  travel, 
and  topographical  descriptions,  a  number  of  scattered 
astronomical  observations,  —  principally  meridian 
altitudes  of  the  sun, — and  our  barometrical  register, 
west  of  Laramie.  Fortunately,  our  other  journals 
contained  duplicates  of  the  most  important  baro 
metrical  observations  which  had  been  taken  in  the 
mountains.  These,  with  a  few  scattered  notes,  were 
all  that  had  been  preserved  of  our  meteorological 
observation.  In  addition  to  these,  we  saved  the 
circle ;  and  these,  with  a  few  blankets,  constituted 
every  thing  that  had  been  rescued  from  the  waters." 
After  a  toilsome  journey  of  some  days,  the  party 
reached  Goat  Island.  On  the  17th  of  October  they 
arrived  at  St.  Louis,  whence  Mr.  Fremont  proceeded 
rapidly  to  Washington,  in  order  to  lay  the  results 
of  his  expedition  before  the  proper  authorities. 
Throughout  the  whole  extent  of  his  journey  he 
had  made  barometrical  observations,  astronomical 
researches,  and  investigations  in  every  department 
of  science  for  which  any  facilities  existed  on  his 
route.  The  results  of  his  labors  he  condensed  into 
a  brief  report  of  ninety  pages, — a  document  which 
may  justly  be  denominated  as  a  production  of  supe 
rior  ability  and  great  value. 

15* 


CHAPTER  H. 

INCIDENTS    OF    COL.  FREMONT'S   SECOND   EXPEDITION. 


FREMONT'S  first  expedition  was  but  a  precursor 
and  an  incentive  to  other  and  more  ambitious  ven 
tures.  He  had  proved  himself  to  be  so  admirably 
adapted  to  the  achievement  of  the  most  important 
results,  as  an  explorer  of  new  and  difficult  regions, 
that  shortly  after  his  return  to  Washington  he  was 
instructed  by  Government  to  connect  the  explora 
tions  which  he  had  already  made,  with  the  surveys 
of  the  Pacific  coast  and  Columbia  River,  which  had 
been  completed  by  the  Expedition  of  Captain  "Wilkes 
to  the  South  Seas.  A  party  of  Americans,  Cana 
dians,  and  Indians,  thirty-nine  in  number,  was  now 
placed  under  his  command.  The  expedition  was 
well  provided  with  arms  and  ammunition,  with 
camp-equipage  and  scientific  instruments,  and  with 
an  abundance  of  stores.  The  route  chosen  by  the 
leader  on  this  occasion  was  different  from  that  pur 
sued  on  the  former:  it  lay  along  the  valley  of  the 
Kansas  River,  to  the  head  of  the  Arkansas.  By . 
this  route  the  unsolved  problem  of  a  new  road  to 

174 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  175 

Oregon  and  California  would  receive  special  at 
tention,  and  probably  would  attain  a  successful 
solution. 

Fremont  started  forth  from  the  village  of  Kansaifi 
in  May,  1843 ;  but  scarcely  had  he  passed  the  out- 
skirt  of  civilization,  when  the  ignoble  spirit  of 
jealousy,  which  superior  merit  always  awakens, 
had  already  been  at  work  at  Washington,  and  pro 
cured  the  issue  of  orders  commanding  the  return 
of  the  expedition.  The  wife  of  Colonel  Fremont 
opened  the  letter  which  contained  this  unwelcome 
information,  and  refused  to  despatch  it  after  her 
husband, — as  she  well  knew  the  heavy  and  unjust 
blow  which  its  contents  would  inflict  upon  his  aspir 
ing  and  enthusiastic  spirit ;  nor  was  he  aware  of  the 
existence  of  such  an  order  until  his  return  a  year 
afterward  to  Washington. 

All  that  immense  region  of  country  which  inter 
vened  between  the  Eocky  Mountains  and  the  Pacific 
still  remained  in  a  very  great  measure  a  terra  in 
cognita,  and  Fremont  resolved  to  throw  it  open  to 
the  acquaintance  of  mankind.  He  arrived  at  the 
tide-water  region  of  the  Columbia  River  in  No 
vember.  Here  was  situated  a  station  of  the  British 
Hudson  Bay  Fur  Company;  and,  while  delaying 
here  a  short  period  to  recruit  his  company,  he 
formed  his  future  plans.  He  resolved  to  cross  the 


176  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 


of 
im 

VP 


great  unknown  region  by  following  a  southeast  line 
from  the  Lower  Columbia  to  the  Upper  Colorado 
of  the  Gulf  of  California.  He  started  forth  in  the 
mmencement  of  winter,  and  soon  deep  snows 
impeded  the  progress  of  the  expedition.  He  tra 
velled  over  vast  and  unknown  wastes,  through 
rugged  mountains  and  inhospitable  deserts.  For 
hundreds  of  miles  the  daring  adventurers  climbed 
amid  dangerous  precipices  and  slippery  crags. 
During  eleven  months  they  were  never  out  of  sight 
of  the  snow.  Hostile  Indians  frequently  hovered 
around  their  path.  The  members  of  the  expedition 
were  often  overcome  by  the  perils  and  sufferings  of 
the  way.  Sometimes  a  heavily-laden  mule  slipped, 
from  the  verge  of  some  dizzy  cliff,  and,  after  tum 
bling  down  for  hundreds  of  feet  between  unfathom 
able  gorges,  was  dashed  to  pieces  at  the  bottom. 
The  slow  and  mournful  procession  of  feeble  and 
starving  skeletons,  both  of  men  and  beasts,  crawled 
like  a  disabled  serpent  along,  the  dangerous  heights 
and  bridle-paths  of  their  mountain  way,  surrounded 
by  the  deep  snows  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and  by  all 
the  awful  incidents  of  a  wintry  march  amid  the 
rudest  fastnesses  and  solitudes  of  nature.  After  a 
perilous  journey  of  many  months,  the  expedition 
arrived  at  Sutter's  Settlement,  in  the  Valley  of  the 
Sacramento.  Thence  they  proceeded  to  San  Joa- 


JOHN   C.  FKEMONT.  177 

q  n.  During  the  progress  of  their  journey  they 
e  j  )lored  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  the  Utah  Lake,  the 
Li  ttle  Salt  Lake,  and  the  mountains  of  the  Sierra 
N  yvada.  During  the  summer  portion  of  their 
loirney  they  had  navigated  rapid  and  dangerous 
ri/ers  with  frail  boats  obtained  from  the  neighbor 
ing  Indians.  They  had  travelled  three  thousand 
fi"e  hundred  miles  by  land  and  water,  and  had  ex 
plored  the  vast  domains  of  Oregon  and  Northern 
C  ilifornia.  Exposure  and  suffering  had  carried  off 
s(  me  of  the  boldest  and  strongest  of  the  men ;  but 
t)  e  gallant  leader  conducted  the  larger  portion  of 
h  B  company  in  safety  to  the  boundaries  of  Cali- 
f<  rnia,  and  thus  completed  a  journey  which,  for  the 
d. splay  of  intrepid  endurance,  of  unconquerable 
determination,  and  of  skilful  management,  is  not 
surpassed  by  the  achievements  of  the  most  noted 
conquerors  or  adventurers  of  modern  times. 

Some  of  the  thrilling  incidents  of  this  expedition 
are  thus  narrated  by  its  intrepid  commander: 

"September^. — A  calm,  clear  day,  with  a  sunrise- 
temperature  of  41°.  In  view  of  our  present  enter 
prise,  a  part  of  the  equipment  of  the  boat  had  been 
made  to  consist  in  three  air-tight  bags,  about  three 
feet  long,  and  capable  each  of  containing  five  gal 
lons.  These  had  been  filled  with  water  the  night 

before,  and  were  now  placed  in  the  boat,  with  our 
M 


178  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

blankets  and  instruments,  consisting  of  a  sex 
tant,  telescope,  spy-glass,  thermometer,  and  baro 
meter. 

""We  left  the  camp  at  sunrise,  and  had  a  very 
pleasant  voyage  down  the  river,  in  which  there  was 
generally  eight  or  ten  feet  of  water,  deepening  as 
we  n eared  the  mouth  in  the  latter  part  of  the  day. 
In  the  course  of  the  morning  we  discovered  that 
two  of  the  cylinders  leaked  so  much  as  to  require 
one  man  constantly  at  the  bellows,  to  keep  them 
sufficiently  full  of  air  to  support  the  boat.  Although 
we  had  made  a  very  early  start,  we  loitered  so  much 
on  the  way — stopping  every  now  and  then,  and 
floating  silently  along,  to  get  a  shot  at  a  goose  or  a 
duck — that  it  was  late  in  the  day  when  we  reached 
the  outlet.  The  river  here  divided  into  several 
branches,  filled  with  fluvials,  and  so  very  shallow 
that  it  was  with  difficulty  we  could  get  the  boat 
along,  being  obliged  to  get  out  and  wade.  We 
encamped  on  a  low  point  among  rushes  and  young 
willows,  where  there  was  a  quantity  of  drift-wood, 
which  served  for  our  fires.  The  evening  was  mild 
and  clear:  we  made  a  pleasant  bed  of  the  young 
willows;  and  geese  and  ducks  enough  had  been 
killed  for  an  abundant  supper  at  night  and  for 
breakfast  the  next  morning.  The  stillness  of  the 
night  was  enlivened  by  millions  of  water-fowl 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  179 

Latitude   (by   observation)   41°   II'  26",  and  lon 
gitude  112°  11'  30". 

"  September  9. — The  day  was  clear  and  calm ;  the 
thermometer  at  sunrise  at  49°.  As  usual  with  the 
trappers  on  the  eve  of  any  enterprise,  our  people 
had  made  dreams,  and  theirs  happened  to  be  a  bad 
one, — one  which  always  preceded  evil, — and  conse 
quently  they  looked  very  gloomy  this  morning ;  but 
we  hurried  through  our  breakfast  in  order  to  make 
an  early  start  and  have  all  the  day  before  us  for 
our  adventure.  The  channel  in  a  short  distance 
became  so  shallow  that  our  navigation  was  at  an 
end,  being  merely  a  sheet  of  soft  mud,  with  a  few 
inches  of  water,  and  sometimes  none  at  all,  forming 
the  low-water  shore  of  the  lake.  All  this  place  was 
absolutely  covered  with  flocks  of  screaming  plover. 
We  took  off  our  clothes,  and,  getting  overboard, 
commenced  dragging  the  boat, — making,  by  this 
operation,  a  very  curious  trail,  and  a  very  disagree 
able  smell  in  stirring  up  the  mud,  as  we  sank  above 
the  knee  at  every  step.  The  water  here  was  still 
fresh,  with  only  an  insipid  and  disagreeable  taste, 
probably  derived  from  the  bed  of  fetid  mud.  After 
proceeding  in  this  way  about  a  mile,  we  came  to  a 
small  black  ridge  on  the  bottom,  beyond  which  the 
water  became  suddenly  salt,  beginning  gradually 
to  deepen,  and  the  bottom  was  sandy  and  firm.  It 


180  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

was  a  remarkable  division,  separating  the  fresh 
waters  of  the  rivers  from  the  briny  water  of  tho 
lake,  which  was  entirely  saturated  with  common  salt. 
Pushing  our  little  vessel  across  the  narrow  boun 
dary,  we  sprang  on  board,  and  at  length  were  afloat 
on  the  waters  of  the  unknown  sea. 

"  We  did  not  steer  for  the  mountainous  islands, 
but  directed  our  course  toward  a  lower  one,  which, 
it  had  been  decided,  we  should  first  visit,  the  sum 
mit  of  which  was  formed  like  the  crater  at  the  upper 
end  of  Bear  River  Valley.  So  long  as  we  could 
touch  the  bottom  with  our  paddles,  we  were  very 
gay;  but  gradually,  as  the  water  deepened,  we 
became  more  still  in  our  frail  bateau  of  gum  cloth 
distended  with  air  and  with  pasted  seams.  Although 
the  day  was  very  calm,  there  was  a  considerable 
swell  on  the  lake;  and  there  were  white  patches 
of  foam  on  the  surface,  which  were  slowly  moving 
to  the  southward,  indicating  the  set  of  a  current  in 
that  direction,  and  recalling  the  recollection  of  the 
whirlpool-stories.  The  water  continued  to  deepen 
as  we  advanced, — the  lake  becoming  almost  trans 
parently  clear,  of  an  extremely  beautiful  bright- 
green  color;  and  the  spray,  which  was  thrown  into 
the  boat  and  over  our  clothes,  was  directly  converted 
into  a  crust  of  common  salt,  which  covered  also  our 
Lands  and  arms.  '  Captain/  said  Carson,  who  for 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  181 

some  time  had  been  looking  suspiciously  at  some 
whitening  appearances  outside  the  nearest  island, 
*  what  are  those  yonder  ?  won't  you  just  take  a  look 
with  the  glass  ?'  We  ceased  paddling  for  a  moment, 
and  found  them  to  be  the  caps  of  the  waves  that 
were  beginning  to  break  under  the  force  of  a  strong 
breeze  that  was  coming  up  the  lake. 

"  The  form  of  the  boat  seemed  to  be  an  admirable 
one,  and  it  rode  on  the  waves  like  a  water-bird ;  but, 
at  the  same  time,  it  was  slow  in  its  progress.  When 
we  were  little  more  than  half-way  across  the  reach, 
two  of  the  divisions  between  the  cylinders  gave 
way,  and  it  required  the  constant  use  of  the  bellows 
to  keep  in  a  sufficient  quantity  of  air.  For  a  long 
time  we  scarcely  seemed  to  approach  our  island ;  but 
gradually  we  worked  across  the  rougher  sea  of  the 
open  channel,  into  the  smoother  water  under  the 
lefc  of  the  island,  and  began  to  discover  that  what 
we  took  for  a  long  row  of  pelicans  ranged  on  the 
beach  were  only  low  cliffs  whitened  with  salt  by 
the  spray  of  the  waves ;  and  about  noon  we  reached 
the  shore,  the  transparency  of  the  water  enabling 
us  to  see  the  bottom  at  a  considerable  depth. 

"  It  was  a  handsome  broad  beach  where  we  landed, 
behind  which  the  hill,  into  which  the  island  was 
gathered,  rose  somewhat  abruptly ;  and  a  point  of 

rock  at  one  end  enclosed  it  in  a  sheltering  way ;  and, 

16 


182  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

as  there  was  an  abundance  of  drift-wood  along  the 
shore,  it  offered  us  a  pleasant  encampment.  "We 
did  not  suffer  our  fragile  hoat  to  touch  the  sharp 
rocks,  but,  getting  overboard,  discharged  the  bag 
gage,  and,  lifting  it  gently  out  of  the  water,  carried 
it  to  the  upper  part  of  the  beach,  which  was  com 
posed  of  very  small  fragments  of  rock. 

"Among  the  successive  banks  of  the  beach,  formed 
by  the  action  of  the  waves,  our  attention,  as  we 
approached  the  island,  had  been  attracted  by  one, 
ten  to  twenty  feet  in  breadth,  of  a  dark-brown  color. 
Being  more  closely  examined,  this  was  found  to  be 
composed,  to  the  depth  of  seven  or  eight  and  twelve 
inches,  entirely  of  the  larvae,  of  insects,  or,  in  com 
mon  language,  of  the  skins  of  worms,  about  the 
size  of  a  grain  of  oats,  which  had  been  washed  up 
by  the  waters  of  the  lake. 

"The  cliffs  and  masses  of  rock  along  the  shore 
were  whitened  by  an  incrustation  of  salt  where  the 
waves  dashed  up  against  them ;  and  the  evaporating 
water,  which  had  been  left  in  holes  and  hollows  on 
the  surface  of  the  rocks,  was  covered  with  a  crust 
of  salt  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness. 
It  appeared  strange  that,  in  the  midst  of  this  grand 
reservoir,  one  of  our  greatest  wants  lately  had  been 
salt.  Exposed  to  be  more  perfectly  dried  in  the 
sun,  this  became  very  white  and  fine,  having  the 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

usual  flavor  of  very  excellent  common  &alt,  without 
any  foreign  taste;  but  only  a  little  was  collected  for 
present  use,  as  there  was  in  it  a  number  of  small 
black  insects. 

"Carrying  with  us  the  barometer  and  other  in 
struments,  in  the  afternoon  we  ascended  to  the 
highest  point  of  the  island, — a  bare,  rocky  peak,  eight 
hundred  feet  above  the  lake.  Standing  on  the 
summit,  we  enjoyed  an  extended  view  of  the  lake, 
enclosed  in  a  basin  of  rugged  mountains,  which 
sometimes  left  marshy  flats  and  extensive  bottoms 
between  them  and  the  shore,  and  in  other  places 
came  directly  down  into  the  water  with  bold  and 
precipitous  bluffs.  Following  with  our  glasses  the 
irregular  shores,  we  searched  for  some  indications 
of  a  communication  with  other  bodies  of  .water  or 
the  entrance  of  other  rivers;  but  the  distance  was 
so  great  that  we  could  make  out  nothing  with 
certainty.  To  the  southward,  several  peninsular' 
mountains,  three  thousand  or  four  thousand  feet 
high,  entered  the  lake,  appearing,  so  far  as  the 
distance  and  our  position  enabled  us  to  determine, 
to  be  connected  by  flats  and  low  ridges  with  the 
mountains  in  the  rear.  These  are  probably  the 
islands  usually  indicated  on  maps  of  this  region  as 
entirely  detached  from  the  shore.  The  season  of 
our  operations  was  when  the  waters  were  at  their* 


184  JOHN   C.  FBEMOJST. 

lowest  stage.  At  the  season  of  high  waters  in  the 
spring,  it  is  probable  that  the  marshes  and  low 
grounds  are  overflowed,  and  the  surface  of  the  lake 
considerably  greater.  In  several  places  the  view 
was  of  unlimited  extent, — here  and  there  a  rocky 
islet  appearing  above  the  water  at  a  great  distance : 
and  beyond,  every  thing  was  vague  and  undefined. 
As  we  looked  over  the  vast  expanse  of  water  spread 
out  beneath  us,  and  strained  our  eyes  along  the 
silent  shores  over  which  hung  so  much  doubt  and 
uncertainty,  and  which  were  so  full  of  interest  to 
us,  I  could  hardly  repress  the  almost  irresistible 
desire  to  continue  our  exploration;  but  the  lengthen 
ing  snow  on  the  mountains  was  a  plain  indication 
of  the  advancing  season,  and  our  frail  linen  boat 
appeared  so  insecure  that  I  was  unwilling  to  trust 
our  lives  to  the  uncertainties  of  the  lake.  I  there 
fore  unwillingly  resolved  to  terminate  our  survey 
here,  and  remain  satisfied  for  the  present  with  what 
we  had  been  able  to  add  to  the  unknown  geography 
of  the  region.  "We  felt  pleasure  also  in  remember 
ing  that  we  were  the  first  who,  in  traditionary  annals 
of  the  country,  had  visited  the  islands,  and  broken, 
with  the  cheerful  sound  of  human  voices,  the  long' 
solitude  of  the  place.  From  the  point  where  we 
were  standing,  the  ground  fell  off  on  every  side  to 
the  water,  giving  us  a  perfect  view  of  the  island, 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  18o 

which,  is  twelve  or  thirteen  miles  in  circumference, 
being  simply  a  rocky  hill,  on  which  there  is  neither 
water  nor  trees  of  any  kind,  although  the  JFremontia 
vermicularis,  which  was  in  great  abundance,  might 
easily  be  mistaken  for  timber  at  a  distance." 


CHAPTER  HL 
COL.  FREMONT'S  THIRD  EXPEDITION,  AND  ITS  RESULTS. 

COLONEL  FREMONT  spent  the  remainder  of  1844 
in  preparing  for  the  press  the  reports  of  the  expe 
dition  which  he  had  just  completed.  Early  in  the 
ensuing  spring  he  commenced  his  third  great  expe 
dition,  the  object  of  whicn  was  to  explore  the  interior 
region  known  as  the  Great  Basin,  and  the  maritime 
country  of  Oregon  and  California.  Some  months 
were  spent  by  him  in  examining  the  head-waters  of 
the  great  rivers  in  that  region,  which  flow  in  differ 
ent  directions  into  both  oceans.  In  October,  1845, 
he  again  reached  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  He  encoun 
tered  many  strange  adventures  in  exploring  the 
country  which  has  since  become  the  familiar  home  of 
the  disciples  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  Mormon  impostor. 
He  travelled  thence  southward  toward  the  confines 
of  California,  and  visited  the  tract  which  has  since 
become  well  known  under  the  title  of  Mariposas. 
At  length  he  reached  the  confines  of  the  "Great 
California  Valley,"  in  which  is  situated  the  city  ot 
Monterey.  Here  he  was  met  by  an  unexpected 

186 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  187 

order  from  General  Castro,  the  Mexican  governor 
of  the  territory,  which  had  not  yet  become  annexed 
to  the  American  Confederacy,  denouncing  him  and 
his  associates  as  robbers  and  highwaymen,  and  com 
manding  them  to  advance  no  farther  into  California. 
Fremont's  party  then  amounted  to  sixty  men,  who 
were  furnished  with  two  hundred  horses  and  an 
abundance  of  ammunition.  Castro  immediately 
assembled  a  body  of  troops  to  attack  Fremont,  in  a 
stronghold  to  which  he  had  retired  in  a  mountain 
overlooking  Monterey.  Here  he  fortified  himself 
so  effectually,  and  presented  so  formidable  a  front, 
that  Castro  changed  his  purpose  and  withdrew  his 
forces.  But  Fremont  had  now  conceived  the  idea 
of  exploring  the  territory  of  the  Wah-lah-math 
Indians  and  the  Tla-math  lakes,  in  the  interior  of 
Oregon,  which  seemed  to  offer  inviting  inducements 
to  lead  to  their  further  examination. 

On  the  8th  of  May,  Fremont  commenced  his  JQur- 
ney  through  this  romantic  region  filled  with  lofty 
mountains,  with  placid  -lakes,  with  flowing  rivers, 
and  with  fertile  plains.  One  of  the  incidents  con 
nected  with  this  portion  of  his  adventures  deserves 
to  be  more  minutely  detailed.  As  Fremont  and  his 
party  rode  along  the  base  of  an  unfrequented  moun 
tain,  suddenly  two  horsemen  appeared,  approaching 
in  the  path  before  them.  They  were  portion  of  a 


188  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

guard  of  six  American  soldiers  who  were  conduct 
ing  the  bearer  of  Government  despatches  to  the 
United  States  consul  at  Monterey ;  who  had  also 
been  intrusted  with  some  letters  and  papers  for 
Fremont.  These  two  men  informed  the  latter  that 
the  five  persons  whom  they  had  left  behind  were  in 
very  great  peril  of  attack  from  the  hostile  Indians; 
and  that  they  themselves  had  hastened  forward  for 
assistance.  Fremont  immediately  determined  to 
advance  to  their  rescue.  "With  ten  picked  men  he 
rode  sixty  miles  in  a  day,  and  at  evening  he  for 
tunately  met  Lieutenant  Gillespie,  the  object  of  his 
search,  still  slowly  advancing,  and  still  unharmed. 
The  letters  which  he  conveyed  to  Fremont  ordered 
him  to  return  to  California  and  there  labor  to 
counteract  the  schemes  which  the  British  Govern 
ment  was  then  making  to  obtain  the  annexation 
of  that  golden  territory  to  the  British  crown.  These 
letters  were  accompanied  with  others  from  his  wife 
and  mother,  which  were  still  more  welcome  to  him. 
That  night  which  brought  to  the  bold  adventurer, 
amid  the  distant  and  unknown  solitudes  of  those 
primeval  mountains,  such  cherished  missives  of  re 
membrance  and  affection  from  those  whom  he  loved 
so  well,  was  fraught  with  an  adventure  of  rare  and 
solemn  interest,  and  one  which  wellnigh  proved  to 
be  his  last.  The  camp  was  pitched  upon  the  shore 


JOHN  C.  FREMONT.  189 

of  one  of  the  placid  lakes  which  lie  embosomed  in  the 
midst  of  the  mountains.  The  horses  were  picketed, 
as  usual,  with  long  halters,  near  at  hand,  to  feed 
upon  the  grass.  The  men,  fourteen  in  number, 
were  distributed  in  companies  of  three  around  dif 
ferent  camp-fires.  A  calm  clear  night  settled  down 
over  the  wide  face  of  nature ;  and  Colonel  Fremont 
permitted  all  the  men,  wearied  by  the  protracted 
and  severe  journey  of  the  day,  to  repose  without 
appointing  a  guard.  As  the  night  advanced,  he 
himself,  seated  by  one  of  the  fires,  perused  with 
insatiable  avidity  the  letters  from  his  family  which 
he  had  received.  The  silence  of  the  grave  pervaded 
the  vast  solitude  around  him.  Toward  midnight  he 
heard  a  sudden  movement  among  the  horses,  which 
gave  evidence  that  some  danger  was  near;  for  it  is 
true  that  the  acute  instincts  of  these  brute  creatures, 
under  such  circumstances,  possess  a  strange  degree 
of  accuracy  and  truthfulness,  which  experienced 
travellers  always  treat  with  consideration.  Colonel 
Fremont  arose  from  his  seat  and  went  forth  to  the 
horses,  to  discover  the  cause  of  their  alarm.  He 
searched  in  vain.  The  dark,  frowning  forest  around 
appeared  to  be  tenanted  by  no  living  thing;  and  the 
light  of  the  moon,  as  she  smiled  in  silent  majesty 
in  the  far-off  heavens,  seemed  to  render  all  conceal 
ment  and  hidden  danger  impossible,  even  in  the 


190  JOHN  C.  FREMONT. 

leafy  thickets  of  the  trees.  He  returned  to  his 
camp-fire,  and  apprehensive  of  no  danger,  he  refused 
in  consequence  of  their  long  march  to  awaken 
any  of  the  men.  Soon  wearied  nature  began  to 
assert  her  claims  even  over  his  vigorous  frame,  and 
he  lay  down  to  sleep.  It  is  said  to  have  "been  the 
second  time  only,  during  the  whole  progress  of  his 
life,  in  which  he  failed  to  appoint  a  watch  during 
the  hours  of  darkness.  Suddenly  a  heavy  groan 
aroused  the  acute  ear  of  Kit  Carson.  It  was  the 
expiring  moan  of  a  man  through  whose  brain  the 
swift  tomahawk  was  cleaving  its  resistless  way. 
Carson  in  an  instant  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  in  a 
voice  of  thunder  awoke  the  whole  camp.  They 
had  been  attacked  by  a  band  of  Tla-math  Indians, 
who  had  followed  the  company  of  Lieutenant  Gil- 
lespie  during  the  entire  day,  in  order  during  the 
hours  of  slumber  to  waylay  and  destroy  them. 
Already  the  bloody  hatchet  and  the  winged  arrow 
had  done  fearful  work.  Basil  Lajeunesse,  a  bold 
and  enterprising  young  Frenchman,  a  friend  and 
favorite  of  Fremont,  was  already  dead.  An  Iowa 
Indian  had  also  expired,  and  a  Delaware  Indian 
was  dying.  It  was  the  last  groan  of  this  unhappy 
victim  which  had  so  opportunely  aroused  the  sleep 
ing  camp.  The  lonely  adventurers,  having  grasped 
their  ready  arms,  fought  with  the  ferocity  of  lions 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  191 

and  hurled  swift  destruction  against  their  assailants. 
Many  of  the  latter  were  slain;  and  among  the 
corpses  was  found,  on  the  following  day,  that  of  the 
same  Tla-math  chief  who  but  a  short  time  before 
had  given  Lieutenant  Gillespie  a  salmon  in  token 
of  amity.  "When  the  morning  dawned,  Colonel 
Fremont  buried  his  dead  so  as  best  to  conceal  their 
remains  from  violation,  and  then  returned  to  the 
rest  of  his  company,  carrying  the  wounded  with 
him.  The  escape  of  Fremont  from  death  on  this 
occasion  was  very  narrow;  and  he  would  have  been 
slain  when  he  ventured  forth  to  examine  the  horses, 
had  not  the  savages  deemed  it  advisable  to  wait 
until  a  more  wholesale  slaughter  could  be  made  of 
th©  unconscious  and  defenceless  travellers.* 

Colonel  Fremont,  in  obedience  to  the  instructions 
conveyed  to  him,  by  Lieutenant  Gillespie,  imme 
diately  returned  to  California.  He  arrived  in  the 
Valley  of  the  Sacramento  in  May,  1846,  and  found 
the  country  in  an  alarming  and  critical  situation. 
The  Americans  who  then  resided  there  were  con 
stantly  assailed,  and  many  of  them  had  been  mur 
dered.  The  public  domain  was  in  process  of  transfer 
to  British  subjects,  and  the  territory  of  California  was 


*  Vide  the  author's  Life  of  John  C.  Fremont,  published  by  Miller, 
Orton  &  Co.,  New  York  and  Auburn,  1846,  pp.  25,  26. 


192  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

about  to  be  subjected  to  British  protection  and 
British  sovereignty.  All  the  American  settlers  im 
mediately  joined  Fremont's  party.  The  Mexicans 
were  under  the  influence  of  the  Picos, —  three 
brothers  of  great  prominence  and  distinction  in  the 
country;  under  whose  guidance  the  independence 
of  California  from  Mexican  rule  was  declared.  One 
of  the  Picos  had  been .  elected  the  first  governor 
of  the  enfranchised  territory.  This  party  was  sup 
ported  by  the  body  of  Mexican  and  Californian 
troops  who  were  commanded  by  General  Castro. 
Actual  hostilities  soon  began  between  the  force  of 
Colonel  Fremont  and  that  of  General  Castro. 
Twelve  of  Fremont's  men  captured  fourteen  Mexi 
cans  and  two  hundred  horses  on  the  llth  of  June. 
It  was  the  first  collision  which  took  place.  The 
next  engagement  was  at  Sonoma,  where  Fremont 
captured  nine  brass  cannon,  two  hundred  and  fifty 
stand  of  arms,  some  men,  and  some  munitions  of 
war.  Castro  then  fled  toward  the  capital,  Cuidad 
de  los  Angeles.  He  was  rapidly  pursued  by  Fre 
mont  with  one  hundred  and  sixty  mounted  rifle 
men.  It  was  a  hot  chase  of  four  hundred  miles. 
When  Fremont  arrived  at  the  capital,  he  found  it 
deserted  by  all  the  civil  and  military  authorities ; 
the  flag  of  Californian  independence  was  hauled 
down  and  that  of  the  United  States  was  hoisted  and 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  193 

unfurled  to  the  breeze.  Commodore  Stockton  took 
possession  of  the  whole  country  as  a  province  and 
conquest  of  the  United  States;  and  he  appointed 
Colonel  Fremont  the  governor  of  the  territory,  to 
assume  the  functions  of  his  office  as  soon  as  he  him 
self  should  return  to  his  squadron.  Thus,  during 
the  short  period  of  sixty  days  from  the  commence 
ment  to  the  conclusion  of  hostilities,  that  rich  and 
golden  gem  was  secured  and  firmly  fixed  in  the 
diadem  which  now  graces  the  brow  of  the  Genius 
of  American  liberty. 

Commodore  Stockton,  in  conferring  such  high 
powers  upon  Colonel  Fremont,  entailed  upon  the 
latter  the  most  serious  and  disagreeable  conse 
quences,  which  ultimately  resulted  in  a  court-mar 
tial,  in  an  unjust  conviction,  and  in  the  abandon 
ment  of  the  army  by  Fremont  as  a  profession. 
There  was  a  conflict  of  jurisdiction  as  well  as  a 
bitter  personal  rivalry  between  Commodore  Stock 
ton  and  General  Kearney,  as  to  the  question  of  the 
supreme  authority  in  California.  Each  branch  of 
the  service  claimed  the  supremacy  in  the  person 
of  its  respective  chief.  Fremont,  in  the  exercise 
of  his  functions  as  Governor  of  California,  was  com 
pelled  to  select  the  one  or  the  other  of  the  rival 
commanders  as  his  superior.  After  carefully  exa 
mining  what  seemed  to  be  the  best  evidence  and 


194  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

counsel  in  the  case,  he  concluded  to  recognise  the 
superior  claims  of  Commodore  Stockton,  and  obeyed 
his  orders  accordingly.  This  course  of  conduct  highly 
incensed  General  Kearney,  although  the  latter  on 
several  occasions  had  recognised  the  title  and 
authority  of  Colonel  Fremont.  During  the  progress 
of  the  dispute,  General  Kearney  ordered  Fremont 
not  to  reorganize  the  California  battalion,  and 
claimed  for  himself  the  command  of  the  entire  Cali 
fornia  army.  Commodore  Stockton  refused  to  yield 
that  command;  but,  after  a  protracted  and  angry 
contest  between  the  principals,  fresh  instructions 
arrived  from  Washington,  which  settled  the  question 
and  gave  the  supreme  military  command  of  the  ter 
ritory  to  General  Kearney.  On  the  return  of  the 
latter  to  the  United  States  in  June,  1847,  he  ordered 
Colonel  Fremont  to  accompany  -him.  "When  the 
party  arrived  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  on  the  22d  of 
August,  Fremont  was  placed  under  arrest  by  Gene 
ral  Kearney,  and  thus  conducted  to  Washington  for  • 
the  purpose  of  being  tried  by  a  court-martial  on 
three  charges, — mutiny,  disobedience  of  the  lawful 
command  of  a  superior  officer,  and  conduct  preju 
dicial  to  good  order  and  military  discipline.  The 
trial  continued  during  November  and  December, 
1847,  and  January,  1848.  It  resulted  in  a  verdict 
of  guilty  on  each  of  the  charges,  and  the  <le- 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  *       195 

fendant  was  sentenced  to  be  dismissed  from  the 
service. 

The  following  extract  from  the  narrative  )f  a 
journey  of  eight  hundred  miles,  performed  in  eight 
days  by  Colonel  Fremont,  will  illustrate  the  nature 
of  «ome  of  his  California  adventures : — 

"  It  was  at  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  22d 
of  March  that  the  party  set  out  from  La  Ciudad  de 
los  Angeles,  ('the  City  of  the  Angels,')  in  the 
southern  part  of  Upper  California,  to  proceed,  in 
the  shortest  time,  to  Monterey,  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
distant  full  four  hundred  miles.  The  way  is  over  a 
mountainous  country,  much  of  it  uninhabited,  with 
no  other  road  than  a  trace,  and  many  defiles  to  pass, 
particularly  the  maritime  defile  of  El  Rincon,  or 
Punto  Gordo,  fifteen  miles  in  extent,  made  by  the 
jutting  of  a  precipitous  mountain  into  the  sea,  and 
which  can  only  be  passed  when  the  tide  is  out  and 
the  sea  calm,  and  then  in  many  places  through  the 
waves.  The  towns  of  Santa  Barbara  and  San  Luis 
Obispo,  and  occasional  ranches,  are  the  principal 
inhabited  places  on  the  route.  Each  of  the  party 
had  three  horses, — nine  in  all, — to  take  their  turns 
under  the  saddle.  The  six  loose  horses  ran  ahead, 
without  bridle  or  halter,  and  required  some  atten 
tion  to  keep  to  the  track.  "When  wanted  for  a 
change, — say  at  the  distance  of  twenty  miles, — they 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

were  caught  by  the  lasso,  thrown  either  by  Don 
Jesus  or  the  servant  Jacob,  who,  though  born  in 
"Washington,  in  his  long  expeditions  with  Colonel 
Fremont  had  become  as  expert  as  a  Mexican  with 
the  lasso,  as  sure  as  the  mountaineer  with  the  rifle, 
equal  to  either  on  horse  or  foot,  and  always  a$lad 
of  courage  and  fidelity. 

"None  of  the  horses  were  shod,  that  being  a  prac 
tice  unknown  to  the  Californians.     The  most  usual 
gait  was  a  sweeping  gallop.     The  first  day  they  ran 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles,  passing  the  San 
Fernando  Mountain,  the  defile  of  the  Rincon,  seve 
ral   other  mountains,  and   slept  at  the  hospitable 
ranch  of  Don  Thomas  Robberis,  beyond  the  towi 
of  Santa  Barbara.     The  only  fatigue  complained  o1 
in  this  day's  ride  was  in  Jacob's  right  arm,  mad< 
tired  by  throwing  the  lasso  and  using  it  as  a  whi] 
to  keep  the  loose  horses  to  the  track. 

"  The  next  day  they  made  another  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  miles,  passing  the  formidable  moun 
tain  of  Santa  Barbara  and  counting  upon  it  the 
skeletons  of  some  fifty  horses,  part  of  near  double 
that  number  which  perished  in  the  crossing  of  that 
terrible  mountain  by  the  California  battalion  on 
Christmas-day,  1846,  amidst  a  raging  tempest  and  a 
deluge  of  rain  and  cold  more  killing  than  that  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada, — the  day  of  severest  suffering, 


JOHN  C.  FREMONT.  197 

Bay  Fremont  and  his  men,  that  they  have  ever 
passed.  At  sunset  the  party  stopped  to  sup  with 
the  friendly  Captain  Dana,  and  at  nine  at  night  San 
Luis  Obispo  was  reached,  the  home  of  Don  Jesus, 
and  where  an  affecting  reception  awaited  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Fremont,  in  consequence  of  an  incident 
which  occurred  there  that  history  will  one  day 
record ;  and  he  was  detained  till  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  receiving  the  visits  of  the  inhabitants, 
(mothers  and  children  included,)  taking  a  breakfast 
of  honor,  and  waiting  for  a  relief  of  fresh  horses  to 
be  brought  in  from  the  surrounding  country.  Here 
the  nine  horses  from  Los  Angeles  were  left  and 
eight  others  taken  in  their  place,  and  a  Spanish  boy 
added  to  the  party  to  assist  in  managing  the  loose 
horses. 

"Proceeding  at  the  usual  gait  till  eight  at  night, 
and  having  made  some  seventy  miles,  Don  Jesus, 
who  had  spent  the  night  before  with  his  family  and 
friends,  and  probably  with  but  little  sleep,  became 
fatigued,  and  proposed  a  halt  for  a  few  hours.  It 
was  in  the  valley  of  the  Salinas  ('salt  river,'  called 
Buena  Ventura  in  the  old  maps)  and  the  haunt  of 
marauding  Indians.  For  safety  during  their  repose 
the  party  turned  off  the  trace,  issued  through  a 
carton  into  a  thick  wood,  and  lay  down,  the  horses 

being  put  to  grass  at  a  short  distance,  with  the 

17* 


198  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

Spanish  boy  in  the  saddle  to  watch.  Sleep,  when 
commenced,  was  too  sweet  to  be  easily  given  up, 
and  it  was  half-way  between  midnight  and  day 
when  the  sleepers  were  aroused  by  an  estampedo 
among  the  horses  and  the  calls  of  the  boy.  The 
cause  of  the  alarm  was  soon  found:  not  Indians, 
but  white  bears, — this  valley  being  their  great  re 
sort,  and  the  place  where  Colonel  Fremont  and 
thirty-five  of  his  men  encountered  some  hundred  of 
them  the  summer  before,  killing  thirty  upon  the 
ground. 

"  The  character  of  these  bears  is  well  known,  and 
the  bravest  hunters  do  not  like  to  meet  them  with 
out  the  advantage  of  numbers.  On  discovering  the 
enemy,  Colonel  Fremont  felt  for  his  pistols;  but 
Don  Jesus  desired  him  to  lie  still,  saying  that 
'people  could  scare  bears/  and  immediately  hal 
looed  to  them  in  Spanish,  and  they  went  off.  Sleep 
went  off  also;  and  the  recovery  of  the  horses 
frightened  by  the  bears,  building  a  rousing  fire, 
making  a  breakfast  from  the  hospitable  supplies  of 
San  Luis  Obispo,  occupied  the  party  till  daybreak, 
when  the  journey  was  resumed  eighty  miles,  and 
the  afternoon  brought  the  party  to  Monterey. 

"The  next  day,  in  the  afternoon,  the  party  set 
out  on  their  return,  and,  the  two  horses  rode  by 
Colonel  Fremont  from  San  Luis  Obispo  being  a 


JOHN  C.  FREMONT.  199 

present  to  him  from  Don  Jesus,  he  (Don  Jesus)  de 
sired  to  make  an  experiment  of  what  one  of  them 
could  do.  They  were  brothers,  on  a  grass  younger 
than  tbe  other,  hoth  of  the  same  color,  (cinnamon,) 
and  hence  called  el  canalo  or  los  canalos,  ('  the  cinna 
mon'  or  'the  cinnamons.')  The  elder  was  to  be 
taken  for  the  trial,  and  the  journey  commenced 
upon  him  at  leaving  Monterey,  the  afternoon  well 
advanced.  Thirty  miles  under  the  saddle  done  that 
evening  and  the  party  stopped  for  the  night.  In 
the  morning  the  elder  canalo  was  again  under  the 
saddle  for  Colonel  Fremont,  and  for  ninety  miles  he 
carried  him  without  a  change  and  without  apparent 
fatigue.  It  was  still  thirty  miles  to  San  Luis  Obispo,. 
where  the  night  was  to  be  passed ;  and  Don  Jesus 
insisted  that  canalo  could  do  it,  and  so  said  the 
horse  by  his  looks  and  action.  But  Colonel  Fre 
mont  would  not  put  him  to  the  trial,  and,  shifting 
the  saddle  to  the  younger  brother,  the  elder  was 
turned  loose  to  run  the  remaining  thirty  miles  with 
out  a  rider.  He  did  so,  immediately  taking  the  lead 
and  keeping  it  all  the  way,  and  entering  San  Luis 
in  a  sweeping  gallop,  nostrils  distended,  snuffing 
the  air,  and  neighing  with  exultation  at  his  return 
to  his  native  pastures, — his  younger  brother  all  the 
time  at  the  head  of  the  horses  under  the  saddle, 
bearing  on  his  bit  and  held  in  by  his  rider.  The 


200  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

whole  eight  horses  made  their  one  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  each  that  day,  (after  thirty  the  evening 
before,)  the  elder  cinnamon  making  ninety  of  his 
under  the  saddle  that  day,  besides  thirty  under  the 
saddle  the  evening  before ;  nor  was  there  the  least 
doubt  that  he  would  have  done  the  whole  distance 
in  the  same  time  if  he  had  continued  under  the 
saddle. 

"After  a  hospitable  detention  of  another  half-day 
at  San  Luis  Obispo,  the  party  set  out  for  Los  Angeles 
on  the  same  nine  horses  which  they  had  rode  from 
that  place,  and  made  the  ride  back  in  about  the 
same  time  they  had  made  it  up, — namely,  at  the 
rate  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  a  day. 

"  On  this  ride  the  grass  on  the  road  was  the  food 
for  the  horses.  At  Monterey  they  had  barley ;  but 
these  horses — meaning  those  trained  and  domesticated, 
as  the  canalos  were — eat  almost  any  thing  of  vege 
table  food,  or  even  drink,  that  their  master  uses,  by 
whom  they  are  petted  and  caressed  and  rarely  sold. 
Bread,  fruit,  sugar,  coffee,  and  even  wine,  (like  the 
Persian  horses,)  they  take  from  the  hand  of  their 
master,  and  obey  with  like  docility  his  slightest 
intimation.  A  tap  of  the  whip  on  the  saddle  springs 
them  into  action ;  the  check  of  a  thread-rein  (on  the 
Spanish  bit)  would  stop  them." 

The  following  letter  will  illustrate  the  difficulty 


JOHN   C.  FKEMONT.  201 

of  Colonel  Fremont's  position  between  the  rival 
commanders  in  California : — 

"  CIUDAD  DE  LOS  ANGELES,  January  27,  1847. 

"Sin: — I  have  the  honor  to  be  in  the  receipt  of 
your  favor  of  last  night,  in  which  I  am  directed  to 
suspend  the  execution  of  orders  which,  in  my  capa 
city  of  military  commandant  of  this  territory,  I  had 
received  from  Commodore  Stockton,  governor  and 
commander-in-chief  in  California.  I  avail  myself 
of  an  early  hour  this  morning  to  make  such  a  reply 
as  the  brief  time  allowed  for  reflection  will  en 
able  rue. 

"I  found  Commodore  Stockton  in  possession  of 
the  country,  exercising  the  functions  of  military 
commandant  and  civil  governor,  as  early  as  July  of 
last  year;  and  shortly  thereafter  I  received  from 
him  the  commission  of  military  commandant,  the 
duties  of  which  I  immediately  entered  upon,  and 
have  continued  to  exercise  to  the  present  moment. 

"I  found  also,  on  my  arrival  at  this  place  some 
three  or  four  days  since,  Commodore  Stockton  still 
exercising  the  functions  of  civil  and  military  go 
vernor,  with  the  same  apparent  deference  to  his 
rank  on  the  part  of  all  officers  (including  yourself) 
as  he  maintained  and  required  when  he  assumed 
them  in  July  last. 


202  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

"I  learned  also,  in  conversation  with  you,  that  or? 
the  march  from  San  Diego,  recently,  to  this  place, 
you  entered  upon  and  discharged  duties  implying 
an  acknowledgment  on  your  part  of  supremacy  to 
Commodore  Stockton. 

"I  feel,  therefore, — with  great  deference  to  your 
professional  and  personal  character, — constrained  to 
say  that  until  you  and  Commodore  Stockton  adjust 
between  yourselves  the  question  of  rank, — where  I 
respectfully  think  the  difficulty  belongs, — I  shall 
have  to  report  and  receive  orders,  as  heretofore, 
from  the  commodore. 

"With  considerations  of  high  regard,  I  am,  sir, 
your  obedient  servant,"  £c. 


CHAPTEE  IV 
COLONEL  FREMONT'S  FOURTH  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION. 

THE  majority  of  the  court  which  tried  the  charges 
preferred  against  Colonel  Fremont  recommended 
the  defendant  to  the  clemency  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States,  in  consequence  of  the  difficult 
position  in  which  he  had  been  placed  between  two 
rival  officers  in  the  United  States  service,  and  in 
view,  also,  of  the  great  and  meritorious  services 
which  he  had  previously  rendered  to  the  cause  of 
topographical  and  geographical  science.  President 
Polk  refused  to  confirm  the  finding  of  the  court  on 
the  first  charge  of  mutiny,  but  sustained  it  in  refer 
ence  to  the  other  two  charges.  At  the  same  time,  he 
remitted  the  penalty  of  dismissal  from  the  service, 
ordered  Fremont  to  be  released  from  arrest,  and  to 
report  himself  for  duty.  Upon  the  receipt  of  this 
order  from  the  President,  Fremont  immediately 
sent  in  his  resignation  as  lieutenant-colonel  in  the 
army  of  the  United  States,  and  retired  from  the 

service.     His  reason  for  so  doing  was,  that  by  accept- 

203 


204  JOHN    C.  FREMONT. 

ing  the  clemency  of  the  President  he  would  virtually 
acknowledge  the  justice  of  the  verdict  of  the  court 
which  had  examined  his  case  and  had  condemned 
him.  Thus,  on  the  15th  of  May,  1848,  in  the  thirty- 
fourth  year  of  his  age,  Colonel  Fremont  abandoned 
the  military  profession,  and  was  thenceforth  free  to 
commence  a  new  career  in  life,  more  congenial  to 
his  tastes,  and  more  productive  of  noble,  elevating, 
and  remunerative  results.  He  had  already  attained 
the  first  position,  and  the  highest  eminence,  as  an 
explorer  of  new  and  dangerous  realms.  His  mili 
tary  and  political  services  had  merely  suspended, 
and  not  concluded,  his  labors  in  this  high  sphere  of 
intellectual  and  physical  endeavor.  He  still  wished 
to  demonstrate  more  completely  the  feasibility  of 
the  grand  idea  which  had  inflamed  and  guided  all 
his  previous  exertions, — the  practicability  of  uniting 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  States  of  this  Union  by  a 
public  highway  of  secure,  direct,  and  facile  travel. 
This  important  and  difficult  achievement  he  still 
might  accomplish ;  his  life  had  yet  a  worthy  and  an 
all-absorbing  aim  to  occupy  him ;  he  abhorred  the  idea 
of  permitting  his  great  faculties  to  rust  and  corrode 
either  in  ignoble  indolence  or  in  vain  regrets.  He 
was  encouraged  to  persevere  by  the  high  praises 
which  he  had  already  received  from  the  most  dis 
tinguished  and  illustrious  representatives  of  science 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  205 

in  the  world.  The  venerable  Nestor  of  knowledge  in 
modern  times,  Alexander  von  Humboldt,  in  send 
ing  to  him  the  "great  golden  medal  for  progress  in 
the  sciences"  from  the  King  of  Prussia,  had  ad 
dressed  him  in  such  language  as  this: — "  You  have 
displayed  a  noble  courage  in  distant  expeditions, 
braved  all  the  dangers  of  cold  and  famine,  enriched 
all  the  branches  of  the  natural  sciences,  and  illus 
trated  a  vast  country  which  was  almost  entirely 
unknown  to  us."  The  Geographical  Society  at 
Berlin,  at  the  same  time,  had  chosen  him  an  honor 
ary  member,  at  the  suggestion  of  the  illustrious 
geographer,  Charles  Bitter;  and  from  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society  of  England  he  also  received, 
about  the  same  period,  the  Founder's  Medal.  These 
and  other  most  honorable  evidences  of  the  fact  that 
his  former  labors  had  been  properly  appreciated 
induced  Fremont  now  to  plan  and  execute  his  fourth 
great  expedition  of  discovery  across  the  continent, 
at  his  own  expense ;  which  proved  to  be  the  most 
difficult,  dangerous,  and  disastrous  of  all  his  adven 
turous  journeys.  This  result  was  attributable  not 
to  any  defect  or  negligence  of  his  own,  but  to  the 
ignorance  or  the  perfidy  of  his  guides. 

Fremont    commenced    his   fourth   exploring   ex 
pedition  on   the   19th  of  October,  1848.     He   had 

determined   to   select  his    route    along  the  head- 
is 


206  JOHN  C.  FREMONT. 

waters  of  the  Rio  Grande.  The  reasons  which  con 
ducted  him  to  this  conclusion  were,  because  that 
route  had  never  yet  been  examined;  and  because  he 
had  reason  to  believe  that  a  practicable  pass  might 
be  discovered  through  the  mountains  at  the  head  of 
that  river.  Unusual  dangers  attended  this  journey; 
for  it  lay  through  the  territories  of  the  hostile 
Apaches,  Utahs,  Navahoes,  Camanches,  and  other 
savage  tribes  of  Indians,  who  were  then  engaged  in 
actual  hostilities  against  the  United  States.  /The 
great  dangers  and  difficulties  of  this  journey,  in 
fact,  rendered  it  one  of  the  most  remarkable  expe 
ditions  of  modern  times.  The  company  consisted 
of  thirty-three  picked  men,  who  were  provided  with 
one  hundred  and  twenty  mules,  and  with  the  ne 
cessary  ammunition  and  stores.  By  the  end  of  No 
vember,  the  adventurers  arrived  at  the  Pueblos,  on 
the  Upper  Arkansas,  at  the  foot  of  the  sierra  along 
which  lay  his  route.  His  direct  course  was  to  effect 
a  passage  across  the  (Ufficult  and  extensive  ranges 
of  mountains  which  now  lay  before  him,  and  which 
stretched  their  multitudinous  heads  of  snow  above 
him  far  away  in  the  distance.  By  the  aid  of  his 
telescope,  Fremont  thought  he  could  discover  the  gap 
or  depression  in  the  mountains  which,  as  the  most 
experienced  hunters  and  explorers  of  the  West  as 
sured  him,  marked  the  locality  of  the  pass  through 


JOHN  C.  FREMONT.  207 

which  his  journey  lay.  He  was  confirmed  in  this 
opinion — which  afterward  proved  to  be  totally  er 
roneous — by  the  judgment  of  the  chief  guide, 
whom  he  had  selected  and  employed  at  Pueblo  San 
Carlos. 

At  length,  on  the  30th  of  November,  the  company 
commenced  to  ascend  the  mountains.  They  were 
impeded  by  the  deep  snow,  and  were  often  assailed 
by  wintry  storms.  On  the  first  day  they  reached 
an  elevation  at  which  all  vegetation  ceased:  they 
were  unable  to  obtain  any  wood  for  fire,  and  the 
cold  was  intense.  During  the  night  which  ensued, 
the  mules  were  saved  from  being  frozen  to  death 
only  by  the  most  strenuous  and  unremitting  exer 
tions  of  the  men.  The  snow  still  fell;  and  the  next 
day  they  were  able  to  advance  only  by  sending  for 
ward  a  division  with  mauls,  for  the  purpose  of  break 
ing  down  a  road  in  the  snow  for  those  who  followed. 
At  length,  after  a  toilsome  and  painful  journey  of 
many  hours,  the  summit  of  the  mountain  was 

"W" 

reached.  It  was  covered  with  vast  masses  of  ice 
and  rocks.  A  more  gloomy  and  repulsive  scene 
could  not  be  imagined  than  that  which  there  pre 
sented  itself.  The  winds  swept  through  the  sur 
rounding  gorges  and  frozen  abysses  with  appalling 
fury ;  and,  as  from  his  lofty  perch  the  bold  leader  of 
the  expedition  gazed  around  him,  he  beheld  nothing. 


208  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  except  the  snowy  sum 
mits  and  the  dismal  wastes  of  the  mountains  stretch 
ing  away,  and  lying  in  cold  and  cheerless  desolation 
against  the  whole  circuit  of  the  wintry  heavens. 

Fremont  soon  discovered  that  the  guide  had 
missed  the  real  pass.  Dangers  rapidly  thickened 
around  the  adventurers;  the  cold  was  becoming 
insupportable ;  a  hundred  and  twenty  mules,  hud 
dled  together  from  the  natural  instinct  of  self-pre 
servation,  were  still  unable  to  resist  the  cold  by 
their  mutual  warmth,  and  many  of  them  fell  over 
dead,  frozen  stiff  as  they  stood.  The  situation  of 
the  party  was  now  perilous  in  the  extreme.  They 
were  distant  at  least  ten  days'  journey  from  the 
nearest  N"ew  Mexican  settlement.  Fremont  imme 
diately  despatched  thither  a  guide  with  three  picked 
men,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  supplies  of  food 
and  succor.  Twenty  days  were  allowed  them  for 
the  performance  of  this  duty,  while  the  remainder 
of  the  party  remained  with  Fremont  in  the  snowy 
solitudes  of  the  mountains. 

After  waiting  sixteen  days  for  their  return,  Fre 
mont,  accompanied  by  three  persons,  overcome  by 
anxiety  and  impatience,  started  forth  on  foot  to 
meet  them.  The  snow  was  waist-deep.  After  tra 
velling  six  days,  Fremont  came  upon  the  camp  of 
the  party.  He  found  the  chief  guide  dead:  he  had 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  209 

perished  from  fatigue  and  exhaustion.  His  three 
comrades  had  subsisted  for  several  days  upon  his 
corpse,  which  had  already  been  considerably  de 
voured.  Fremont  gave  them  what  relief  he  could, 
and  resumed  his  journey  toward  the  New  Mexican 
settlements.  He  had  not  progressed  far  before  he 
met  the  welcome  trail  of  Indians.  He  pursued  it 
down  the  Del  Norte,  which  was  then  frozen  over  as 
firmly  as  a  rock ;  and  after  some  time  he  discovered 
a  solitary  Indian  attempting  to  obtain  water  from 
an  air-hole.  He  was  soon  surrounded  and  taken. 
He  proved  to  be  the  son  of  a  Utah  chief  whom  Fre 
mont  on  a  former  occasion,  several  years  before, 
had  met  at  a  distant  point.  He  became  Fremont's 
guide,  conducted  him  to  the  nearest  Indian  settle 
ments,  gave  him  four  horses,  and  furnished  the 
necessary  provisions.  Fremont,  having  thus  re 
cruited,  proceeded  to  Taos,  and  in  the  hospitable 
house  of  his  old  friend  Kit  Carson  he  obtained 
further  supplies,  which  he  immediately  sent  to  his 
party  who  yet  remained  in  the  mountains.  One- 
third  of  them  had  already  perished.  Some  of  the 
survivors  had  their  feet  half  burned  in  the  fire 
which  had  been  kindled  to  thaw  and  invigorate 
them;  others  were  crippled  in  various  ways.  Fre 
mont's  situation  was  still  gloomy  in  the  extreme. 

His  whole  outfit  was  lost;  his  men  were  all  either 
o  18* 


210  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

dead  or  disabled;  he  himself  was  penniless  in  a 
distant  and  strange  region."  Yet  he  did  not  de 
spond  ;  but  he  exhibited,  on  this  desperate  and  me 
morable  occasion,  a  degree  of  unconquerable  hero 
ism  which,  if  exhibited  on  some  great  field  pro 
minent  in  the  world's  eye,  would  have  surrounded 
him  with  the  halo  of  a  world's  admiration.  He 
aroused  his  utmost  energies.  He  obtained,  by  vari 
ous  means,  another  outfit  and  a  new  company  of 
men.  In  a  few  days,  horses,  provisions,  arms,  am 
munition,  all  were  acquired  by  his  indomitable  per 
severance  and  activity,  and  he  resumed  his  perilous 
march.  He  now  chose  to  pass  through  the  moun 
tains  by  the  Gila  and  the  Paso  del  Norte,  entering 
California  at  the  Agua  Caliente,  and  travelling 
thence  to  Los  Angelos,  the  capital  of  the  Territory. 
The  following  letter  written  by  Colonel  Fremont 
to  his  wife  furnishes  an  admirable  description  of 
some  of  the  vicissitudes  of  this  memorable  journey  : 

"TAGS,  NEW  MEXICO,  January  27,  1849. 

"Mr  VERY  DEAR  WIFE  : — I  write  to  you  from  the 
house  of  our  good  friend  Carson.  This  morning  a 
cup  of  chocolate  was  brought  to  me  while  yet  in  bed. 
To  an  overworn,  overworked,  much  fatigued,  and 
starving  traveller,  these  little  luxuries  of  the  world 
offer  an  interest  which  in  your  comfortable  home  it 
is  not  possible  for  you  to  conceive.  While  in  the 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  211 

enjoy meiit  of  this  luxury,  then,  I  pleased  myself  in 
imagining  how  gratified  you  would  be  in  picturing 
me  here  in  Kit's  care,  whom  you  will  fancy  con 
stantly  occupied  and  constantly  uneasy  in  endeavor 
ing  to  make  me  comfortable.  How  little  could  you 
have  dreamed  of  this  while  he  was  enjoying  the 
pleasant  hospitality  of  your  father's  house!  The 
furthest  thing  then  from  your  mind  was  that  he 
would  ever  repay  it  to  me  here. 

"But  I  have  now  the  unpleasant  task  of  telling 
you  how  I  came  here.  I  had  much  rather  write  you 
some  rambling  letters  in  unison  with  the  repose  in 
which  I  feel  inclined  to  indulge,  and  talk  to  you 
about  the  future,  with  which  I  am  already  busily  oc 
cupied, — about  my  arrangements  for  getting  speedily 
down  into  the  more  pleasant  climate  of  the  Lower 
Del  Norte  and  rapidly  through  into  California,  and 
my  plans  when  I  get  there.  I  have  an  almost  in 
vincible  repugnance  to  going  back  among  scenes 
where  I  have  endured  much  suffering,  and  for  all 
the  incidents  and  circumstances  of  which  I  feel  a 
strong  aversion.  But  as  clear  information  is  abso 
lutely  necessary  to  you,  and  to  your  father  more  par 
ticularly  still,  I  will  give  you  the  story  now,  instead 
of  waiting  to  tell  it  to  you  in  California.  But  I 
write  in  the  great  hope  that  you  will  not  receive  this 


212  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

letter.     When  it  reaches  Washington  you  may  be  on 
your  way  to  California. 

"  Former  letters  have  made  you  acquainted  with 
our  journey  so  far  as  Bent's  Fort,  and  from  report 
you  will  have  heard  the  circumstances  of  our  depar 
ture  from  the  Upper  Pueblo  of  the  Arkansas.  We 
left  that  place  about  the  25th  of  November,  with 
upwards  of  a  hundred  good  mules  and  one  hundred 
and  thirty  bushels  of  shelled  corn,  intended  to  sup 
port  our  animals  across  the  snow  of  the  high  moun 
tains  and  down  to  the  lower  parts  of  the  Grand  River 
tributaries,  where  usually  the  snow  forms  no  obstacle 
to  winter  travelling.  At  the  Pueblo  I  had  engaged  as 
a  guide  an  old  trapper  well  known  as  'Bill  Williams,' 
and  who  had  spent  some  twenty-five  years  of  his 
life  in  trapping  various  parts  of  the  Rocky  Moun 
tains.  The  error  of  our  jo'urney  was  committed 
in  engaging  this  man.  He  proved  never  to  have 
in  the  least  known,  or  entirely  to  have  forgotten, 
the  whole  region  of  country  through  which  we  were 
to  pass.  We  occupied  more  than  half  a  month  in 
making  the  journey  of  a  few  days,  blundering  a  tor 
tuous  way  through  deep  snow  which  already  began 
to  choke  up  the  passes,  for  which  we  were  obliged 
to  waste  time  in  searching.  About  the  llth  of  De 
cember  we  found  ourselves  at  the  North  of  the  Del 
Norte  Canon,  where  that  river  issues  from  the  St. 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  213 

John's  Mountain,  one  of  the  highest,  most  rugged 
and  impracticable  of  all  the  Rocky  Mountain  ranges, 
inaccessible  to  trappers  and  hunters  even  in  the 
summer-time.  Across  the  point  of  this  elevated 
range  our  guide  conducted  us,  and,  having  still  great 
confidence  in  his*  knowledge,  we  pressed  onward 
with  fatal  resolution.  Even  along  the  river-bottoms 
the  snow  was  already  belly-deep  for  the  mules,  fre 
quently  snowing  in  the  valley  and  almost  constantly 
in  the  mountains.  The  cold  was  extraordinary, — at 
the  warmest  hours  of  the  day  (between  one  and  two) 
the  thermometer,  (Fahrenheit,)  standing  in  the  shade 
of  only  a  tree-trunk,  at  zero;  the  day  sunshiny, 
with  a  moderate  breeze.  "We  pressed  up  toward 
the  summit,  the  snow  deepening,  and  in  four  or 
five  days  reached  the  naked  ridges  which  lie  above 
the  timbered  country,  and  which  form,  the  dividing 
grounds  between  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  Oceans.  Along  these  naked  ridges  it  storms 
nearly  all  winter,  and  the  winds  sweep  across  them 
with  remorseless  fury.  On  our  first  attempt  to 
cross  we  encountered  a  pouderte  (dry  snow  driven 
thick  through  the  air  by  violent  wind,  and  in  which 
objects  are  visible  only  at  a  short  distance,)  and  were 
driven  back,  having  some  ten  or  twelve  men  vari 
ously  frozen,  face,  hands,  or  feet.  The  guide  became 
iiigh  being  frozen  to  death  here,  and  dead  mules 


214  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

were  already  lying  about  the  fires.  Meantin>o,  it 
snowed  steadily.  The  next  day  we  made  maulsv  and, 
beating  a  road  or  trench  through  the  snow,  crossed 
the  crest  in  defiance  of  the  pouderie  and  encamped 
immediately  below  in  the  edge  of  the  timber.  The 
trail  showed  as  if  a  defeated  party  had  passed  by, — 
pack-saddles  and  packs,  scattered  articles  of  clothing, 
and  dead  mules  strewed  along.  A  continuance  of 
stormy  weather  paralyzed  all  movement.  "We  were 
encamped  somewhere  about  twelve  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea.  Westward,  the  country  was  buried 
in  deep  snow.  It  was  impossible  to  advance,  and 
to  turn  back  was  equally  impracticable.  "We  were 
overtaken  by  sudden  and  inevitable  ruin.  It  so 
happened  that  the  only  places  where  any  grass  could 
be  had  were  the  extreme  summit  of  the  ridges, 
where  the  sweeping  winds  kept  the  rocky  ground 
bare  and  the  snow  could  not  lie.  Below  these,  ani 
mals  could  not  get  about,  the  snow  being  deep 
enough  to  bury  them.  Here,  therefore,  in  the  full 
violence  of  the  storms,  we  were  obliged  to  keep  our 
animals.  They  could  not  be  moved  either  way.  It 
was  instantly  apparent  that  we  should  lose  every 
animal. 

"I  determined  to  recross  the  mountain  more 
toward  the  open  country,  and  haul  or  pack  the 
baggage  (by  men)  down  to  the  Del  Forte.  With 


JOHN  C.  FREMONT.  215 

great  labor  the  baggage  was  transported  across  the 
crest  to  the  head-springs  of  a  little  stream  leading  to 
the  main  river.  A  few  days  were  sufficient  to  de 
stroy  our  fine  band  of  mules.  They  generally  kept 
huddled  together,  and,  as  they  froze,  one  would  be 
seen  to  tumble  down,  and  the  snow  would  cover 
him:  sometimes  they  would  break  off  and  rush 
down  toward  the  timber,  until  they  were  stopped 
by  the  deep  snow,  where  they  were  soon  hidden  by 
the  pouderiL  The  courage  of  the  men  failed  fast : 
in  fact,  I  have  never  seen  men  so  soon  discouraged 
by  misfortune  as  we  were  on  this  occasion ;  but,  as 
you  know,  the  party  was  not  constituted  like  the 
former  ones.  But  among  those  who  deserve  to  be 
honorably  mentioned,  and  who  behaved  like  what 
they  were, — men  Of  the  old  exploring  party, — were 
Godey,  King,  and  Taplin ;  and  first  of  all  Godey. 
In  this  situation,  I  determined  to  send  in  a  party  to 
the  Spanish  settlements  of  New  Mexico  for  provi 
sions  and  mules  to  transport  our  baggage  to  Taos. 
With  economy,  and,  after  we  should  leave  the  mules, 
we  had  not  two  weeks'  provisions  in  the  camp. 
These  consisted  of  a  store  which  I  had  reserved  for 
a  hard  day, — macaroni  and  bacon.  From  among  the 
volunteers  I  chose  King,  Brackenridge,  Creutzfeldt, 
and  the  guide  Williams ;  the  party  under  the  com 
mand  of  King.  In  case  of  the  least  delay  at  the 


216  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

settlements,  lie  was  to  send  me  an  express.  In  the 
mean  time,  we  were  to  occupy  ourselves  in  removing 
the  baggage  and  equipage  down  to  the  Del  Norte, 
T  which  we  reached  with  our  baggage  in  a  few  days 
after  their  departure,  (which  was  the  day  after 
Christmas.)  Like  many  a  Christmas  for  years  back, 
mine  was  spent  on  the  summit  of  a  wintry  moun 
tain,  my  heart  filled  with  gloomy  and  anxious 
thoughts,  with  none  of  the  merry  faces  and  pleasant 
luxuries  that  belong  to  that  happy  time.  You  may 
be  sure  we  contrasted  much  this  with  the  last  at 
"Washington,  and  speculated  much  on  your  doings 
and  made  many  warm  wishes  for  your  happiness. 
Could  you  have  looked  into  Agrippa's  glass  for  a 
few  moments  only !  You  remember  the  volumes  of 
Blackstone  which  I  took  from  your  father's  library 
when  we  were  overlooking  it  at  our  friend  Brant's  ? 
They  made  my  Christmas  amusements.  I  read 
them  to  pass  the  heavy  time  and  forget  what  was 
around  me.  Certainly,  you  may  suppose  that  my 
first  law-lessons  will  be  well  remembered.  Day 
after  day  passed  by,  and  no  news  from  our  express 
party.  Snow  continued  to  fall  almost  incessantly 
on  the  mountain.  The  spirits  of  the  camp  grew 
lower.  Prone  lay  down  in  the  trail  and  froze  to 
death.  In  a  sunshiny  day,  and  having  with  him 
means  to  make  a -fire,  he  threw  his  blankets  down 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  217 

in  the  trail  and  lay  there  till  he  froze  to  death. 
After  sixteen  days  had  elapsed  from  King's  depar 
ture,  I  became  so  uneasy  at  the  delay  that  I  decided 
to  wait  no  longer.  I  was  aware  that  our  troops  had 
been  engaged  in  hostilities  with  the  Spanish  Utahs 
and  Apaches,  who  range  in  the  North  River  Valley, 
and  became  fearful  that  they  (King's  party)  had 
been  cut  off  by  these  Indians :  I  could  imagine  no 
other  accident.  Leaving  the  camp  employed  with 
the  baggage  in  charge  of  Mr.  Vincenthaler,  I  started 
down  the  river  with  a  small  party,  consisting  of 
Godey,  (with  his  young  nephew,)  Mr.  Preuss,  and 
Saunders.  "We  carried  our  arms  and  provisions  for 
two  or  three  days.  In  the  camp  the  messes  had 
provisions  for  two  or  three  meals,  more  or  less,  and 
about  five  pounds  of  sugar  to  each  man.  Failing 
to  meet  King,  my  intention  was  to  make  the  Eed 
River  settlement,  about  twenty-five  miles  north  of 
Taos,  and  send  back  the  speediest  relief  possible. 
My  instructions  to  the  camp  were,  that  tif  they  did 
not  hear  from  me  within  a  stated  time  they  were  to 
follow  down  the  Del  Norte. 

"  On  the  second  day  after  leaving  camp,  we  came 
upon  a  fresh  trail  of  Indians, — two  lodges,  with  a 
considerable  number  of  animals.  This  did  not 
lessen  our  uneasiness  for  our  people.  As  their  trail 
when  we  met  it  turned  and  went  down  the  river, 


218  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

we  followed  it.  On  the  fifth  day  we  surprised  an 
Indian  on  the  ice  of  the  river.  He  proved  to  be 
a  Utah,  son  of  a  Grand  River  chtef  we  had  formerly 
known,  and  behaved  to  us  in  a  friendly  manner. 
"We  encamped  near  them  at  night.  By  a  present  of 
a  rifle,  my  two  blankets,  and  other  promised  rewards 
when  we  should  get  in,  I  prevailed  on  this  Indian 
to  go  with  us  as  a  guide  to  the  Eed  Eiver  settlement, 
and  take  with  him  four  of  his  horses,  principally  to 
carry  our  little  baggage.  These  were  wretchedly 
poor,  and  could  get  along  only  in  a  very  slow  walk. 
On  that  day,  (the  sixth,)  we  left  the  lodges  late,  and 
travelled  only  some  six  or  seven  miles.  About  sun 
set  we  discovered  a  little  smoke,  in  a  grove  of  tim 
ber  off  from  the  river,  and,  thinking  perhaps  it  might 
be  our  express  party  on  its  return,  we  went  to  see. 
This  was  the  twenty-second  day  since  they  had  left 
us,  and  the  sixth  since  we  had  left  the  camp.  We 
found  them, — three  of  them,  Creutzfeldt,  Bracken- 
ridge,  and  Williams, — the  most  miserable  objects  I 
have  ever  seen.  I  did  not  recognise  Creutzfeldt's 
features  when  Brackenridge  brought  him  up  to  me 
and  mentioned  his  name.  They  had  been  starving. 
King  had  starved  to  death  a  few  days  before.  His 
remains  were  some  six  or  eight  miles  above,  near 
the  river.  By  the  aid  of  the  horses,  we  carried 
these  three  men  with  us  to  Eed  Eiver  settlement, 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  219 

which  we  reached  (Jan.  20)  on  the  tenth  evening 
after  leaving  our  camp  in  the  mountains,  having 
travelled  through  snow  and  on  foot  one  hundred 
and  sixty  miles.  I  look  upon  the  anxiety  which  in 
duced  me  to  set  out  from  the  camp  as  an  inspiration. 
Had  I  remained  there  waiting  the  party  which  had 
been  sent  in,  every  man  of  us  would  probably  have 
perished. 

"  The  morning  after  reaching  the  Red  Eiver 
town,  Godey  and  myself  rode  on  to  the  Rio  Hondo 
and  Taos,  in  search  of  animals  and  supplies,  and, 
on  the  second  evening  after  that  on  which  we  had 
reached  Red  River,  Godey  had  returned  to  that 
place  with  about  thirty  animals,  provisions,  and 
four  Mexicans,  with  which  he  set  out  for  the  camp 
on  the  following  morning.  On  the  road  he  received 
eight  or  ten  others,  which  were  turned  over  to  him 
by  the  orders  of  Major  Beale,  the  commanding 
officer  of  this  northern  district  of  New  Mexico.  I 
expect  that  Godey  will  reach  this  place  with  the 
party  on  "Wednesday  evening,  the  31st.  From  Major 
Beale  I  received  the  offer  of  every  aid  in  his  power, 
and  such  actual  assistance  as  he  \v^s  able  to  render. 
Some  horses  which  he  had  just  recovered  from  the 
Utahs  were  loaned  to  me,  and  he  supplied  me  from 
the  commissary's  department  with  provisions  which 
I  could  have  had  nowhere  else.  I  find  myself  in 


220  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

the  midst  of  friends.  "With  Carson  is  living  Owens; 
and  Maxwell  is  at  his  father-in-law's,  doing  a  very 
prosperous  business  as  a  merchant  and  contractor 
for  the  troops. 

"Evening. — Mr.  St.  Yrain  and  Aubrey,  who  have 
just  arrived  from  Santa  FC*,  called  to  see  me.  I  had 
the  pleasure  to  learn  that  Mr.  St. Yrain  sets  out  from 
Santa  Fe  on  the  15th  of  February,  for  St.  Louis,  so 
that  by  him  I  have  an  early  and  certain  opportunity 
of  sending  on  my  letters.  Beale  left  Santa  Fd  on 
his  journey  to  California  on  the  9th  of  this  month. 
He  probably  carried  on  with  him  any  letters  which 
might  have  been  at  Santa  F£  for  me.  I  shall  pro 
bably  reach  California  with  him  or  shortly  after  him. 
Say  to  your  father  that  these  are  my  plans  for  the 
future. 

"At  the  beginning  of  February  (about  Saturday) 
I  shall  set  out  for  California,  taking  the  southern 
route,  by  the  Rio  Abejo,  the  Paso  del  Nbrte,  and  the 
south  side  of  the  Gila,  entering  California  at  the 
Agua  Caliente,  thence  to  Los  Angeles  and  imme 
diately  north.  I  shall  break  up  my  party  here  and 
take  with  me  onlj  a  few  men.  The  survey  has  been 
uninterrupted  up  to  this  point,  and  I  shall  carry  it 
on  consecutively.  As  soon  as  possible  after  reach 
ing  California,  I  will  go  on  with  the  survey  of  the 
coast  and  coast-country.  Your  father  knows  that 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  221 

tins  is  an  object  of  great  desire  with  me,  and  I  trust 
it  is  not  too  much  to  hope  that  he  may  obtain  the 
countenance  and  aid  of  the  President  (whoever  he 
may  be)  in  carrying  it  on  effectually  and  rapidly  to 
completion.  For  this  I  hope  earnestly.  I  shall 
then  be  enabled  to  draw  up  a  map  and  report  on 
the  whole  country,  agreeably  to  our  previous  antici 
pations.  All  my  other  plans  remain  entirely  unaltered. 
I  shall  take  immediate  steps  to  make  ourselves  a 
good  home  in  California,  and  to  have  a  place  ready 
for  your  reception,  which  I  anticipate  for  April. 
My  hopes  and  wishes  are  more  strongly  than  ever 
turned  that  way. 

"  Monday,  29th. — My  letter  now  assumes  a  journal- 
form.  ]STo  news  yet  from  the  party, — a  great  deal 
of  falling  weather ;  rain  and  sleet  here  and  snow  in 
the  mountains.  This  is  to  be  considered  a  poor 
country, — mountainous,  with  severe  winters  and  but 
little  arable  land.  To  the  United  States  it  seems  to 
me  "to  offer  little  other  value  than  the  right  of  way. 
It  is  throughout  infested  with  Indians,  with  whom 
in  the  course  of  the  present  year  the  United  States 
will  be  at  war,  as  well  as  in  the  Oregon  Territory. 
To  hold  this  country  will  occasion  the  Government 
great  expense,  and,  certainly,  one  can  see  no  source 
of  profit  or  advantage  in  it.  An  additional  regiment 

will  be  required  for  special  service  here. 

19* 


222  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

"  Mr.  St.  Vrain  dined  with  us  to-day.  Owens 
goes  to  Missouri  in  April  to  get  married,  and  thence 
by  water  to  California.  Carson  is  very  anxious  to 
go  there  with  me  now,  and  afterward  remove  his 
family  thither;  but  he  cannot  decide  to  break  off 
from  Maxwell  and  family  connections. 

"  I  am  anxiously  waiting  to  hear  from  my  party, 
in  much  uncertainty  as  to  their  fate.  My  presence 
kept  them  together  and  quiet:  my  absence  may  have 
had  a  bad  effect.  When  we  overtook  King's  starv 
ing  party,  Brackenridge  said  that  he  '  would  rather 
have  seen  me  than  his  father.'  He  felt  himself  safe." 

"  TAGS,  NEW  MEXICO,  February  6,  1849. 

"After  a  long  delay,  which  had  wearied  me  to  a 
point  of  resolving  to  set  out  again  myself,  tidings 
have  at  last  reached  me  from  my  ill-fated  party.  Mr. 
Haler  came  in  last  night,  having  the  night  before 
reached  Red  River  settlement,  with  some  three  or 
four  others.  Including  Mr.  King  and  Prone,  we 
have  lost  eleven  of  our  party.  Occurrences  after  I 
left  them  are  briefly  these,  so  far  as  they  are  within 
Haler's  knowledge.  I  say  briefly,  my  dear  Jessie, 
because  now  I  am  unwilling  to  force  myself  to  dwell 
upon  particulars.  I  wish  for  a  time  to  shut  out 
these  things  from  my  mind,  to  leave  this  country, 
and  all  thoughts  and  all  things  connected  with 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  22£ 

recent  events,  which  have  been  so  signally  disas 
trous  as  absolutely  to  astonish  me  with  a  persistence 
of  misfortune  which  no  precaution  has  been  ade 
quate  on  my  part  to  avert. 

"You  will  remember  that  I  had  left  the  camp 
with  occupation  sufficient  to  employ  them  for  three 
or  four  days,  after  which  they  were  to  follow  me 
down* the  river.  Within  that  time  I  had  expected 
the  relief  from  King,  if  it  was  to  come  at  all. 

"They  remained  where  I  had  left  them  seven 
days,  and  then  started  down  the  river.  Manuel — 
you  will  remember  Manuel,  the  Cosumne  Indian — 
gave  way  to  a  feeling  of  despair  after  they  had  tra 
velled  about  two  miles,  begged  Haler  to  shoot  him, 
and  then  turned  and  made  his  way  back  to  the 
camp, — intending  to  die  there,  as  he  doubtless  soon 
did.  They  followed  our  trail  down  the  river: 
twenty-two  man  they  were  in  all.  About  ten  miles 
below  the  camp,  Wise  gave  out,  threw  away  his 
gun  and  blanket,  and,  a  few  hundred  yards  farther, 
fell  over  into  the  snow  and  died.  Two  Indian  boys, 
young  men,  countrymen  of  Manuel,  were  behind. 
They  rolled  up  Wise  in  his  blanket,  and  buried  him 
in  the  snow  on  the  river-bank.  No  more  died  that 
day, — none  the  next.  Carver  raved  during  the 
night,  his  imagination  wholly  occupied  with  images 
of  many  things  which  he  fancied  himself  eating. 


224  JOHN  C.  FREMONT. 

In  the  morning  lie  wandered  off  from  the  party> 
and  probably  soon  died.  They  did  not  see  him 
again.  Sorel  on  this  day  gave  out,  and  lay  down 
to  die.  They  built  him  a  fire ;  and  Morin,  who  was 
in  a  dying  condition  and  snow-blind,  remained. 
These  two  did  not  probably  last  till  the  next  morn 
ing.  That  evening,  I  think,  Hubbard  killed  a  deer. 
They  travelled  on,  getting  here  and  there  a  grouse, 
but  probably  nothing  else,  the  snow  having  frightened 
off  the  game.  Things  were  desperate,  and  brought 
Haler  to  the  determination  of  breaking  up  the  party, 
in  order  to  prevent  them  from  living  upon  each 
other.  He  told  them  <  that  he  had  done  all  he  could 
for  them,  that  they  had  no  other  hope  remaining 
than  the  expected  relief,  and  that  their  best  plan 
was  to  scatter  and  make  the  best  of  their  way  in 
small  parties  down  the  river.  That,  for  his  part,  if 
he  was  to  be  eaten,  he  would,  at  all  events,  be  found 
travelling  when  he  did  die.'  They  accordingly 
separated.  "With  Mr.  Haler  continued  five  others 
and  the  two  Indian  boys.  Rohrer  now  became  very 
despondent :  Haler  encouraged  him  by  recalling  to 
mind  his  family,  and  urged  him  to  hold  out  a  little 
longer.  On  this  day  he  fell  behind,  but  promised 
to  overtake  them  at  evening.  Haler,  Scott,  Hub- 
bard,  and  Martin  agreed  that,  if  any  one  of  them 
should  give  out,  the  others  were  not  to  wait  for  him 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  225 

to  die,  but  build  a  fire  for  him  and  push  on.  At 
night,  Kern's  mess  encamped  a  few  hundred  yards 
from  Haler's,  with  the  intention,  according  to  Taplin, 
to  remain  where  they  were  until  the  relief  should 
come,  and  in  the  mean  time  to  live  upon  those  who 
had  died,  and  upon  the  weaker  ones  as  they  should 
die.  "With  the  three  Kerns  were  Cathcart,  Andrews, 
McKie,  Stepperfeldt,  and  Taplin. 

"Ferguson  and  Beadle  had  remained  together 
behind.  In  the  evening  Kohrer  came  up  and  re 
mained  with  Kern's  mess.  Mr.  Haler  learned  after 
ward  from  that  mess  that  Rohrer  and  Andrews 
wandered  off  the  next  day  and  died.  They  say 
they  saw  their  bodies.  In  the  morning  Haler's 
party  continued  on.  After  a  few  hours,  Hubbard 
gave  out.  They  built  him  a  fire,  gathered  him  some 
wood,  and  left  him,  without,  as  Haler  says,  turning 
their  heads  to  look  at  him  as  they  went  off.  About 
two  miles  farther,  Scott — you  remember  Scott,  who 
used  to  shoot  birds  for  you  at  the  frontier — gave  out. 
They  did  the  same  for  him  as  for  Hubbard,  and 
continued  on.  In  the  afternoon  the  Indian  boys 
went  ajiead,  and  before  nightfall  met  Godey  with 
the  relief.  Haler  heard  and  knew  the  guns  which 
he  fired  for  him  at  night,  and,  starting  early  in  the 
morning,  soon  met  him.  I  hear  that  they  all  cried 
together  like  children.  Haler  turned  back  with 


226  JOHN    3.  FREMONT. 

Godey,  and  went  with  him  to  where  they  had  left 
Scott.  He  was  still  alive,  and  was  saved.  Hubbard 
was  dead, — still  warm.  From  Kern's  mess  they 
learned  the  death  of  Andrews  and  Rohrer,  and  a 
little  above  met  Ferguson,  who  told  them  that 
Beadle  had  died  the  night  before. 

"  Godey  continued  on  with  a  few  New  Mexicans 
and  pack-mules  to  bring  down  the  baggage  from  the 
camp.  Haler,  with  Martin  and  Bacon,  on  foot,  and 
bringing  Scott  on  horseback,  have  first  arrived  at 
the  Red  River  settlement.  Provisions  and  horses 
for  them  to  ride  were  left  with  the  others,  who  pre 
ferred  to  rest  on  the  river  until  Godey  came  back. 
At  the  latest,  they  should  all  have  reached  Red 
River  settlement  last  night,  and  ought  all  to  be  here 
this  evening.  When  Godey  arrives,  I  shall  know 
from  him  all  the  circumstances  sufficiently  in  detail 
to  enable  me  to  understand  clearly  every  thing.  But 
it  will  not  be  necessary  to  tell  you  any  thing  further. 
It  has  been  sufficient  pain  for  you  to  read  what  I 
have  already  written. 

"  As  I  told  you,  I  shall  break  up  my  party  here. 
I  have  engaged  a  Spaniard  to  furnish  mules  to  take 
my  little  party  with  our  baggage  as  far  down  the 
Del  Norte  as  Albuquerque.  To-morrow  a  friend 
eete  out  to  purchase  me  a  few  mules,  with  which  he 


JOHN  C.  FREMONT.  227 

is  to  meet  me  at  Albuquerque ;  and  thence  I  con 
tinue  the  journey  on  my  own  animals.  My  road 
will  take  me  down  the  Del  Norte,  about  one  hundred 
and  sixty  miles  below  Albuquerque,  and  then  passes 
between  this  river  and  the  heads  of  the  Gila,  to  a 
little  Mexican  town  called,  I  think,  Tusson ;  thence 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Gila  and  across  the  Colorado, 
direct  to  Agua  Caliente,  into  California.  I  intend 
to  make  the  journey  rapidly,  and  about  the  middle 
of  March :  hope  for  the  great  pleasure  of  hearing 
from  home.  I  look  for  a  large  supply  of  news 
papers  and  documents,  more  perhaps  because  these 
things  have  a  home-look  about  them  than  on  their 
own  account.  When  I  think  of  you  all,  1  feel  a 
warm  glow  at  my  heart,  which  renovates  it  like  a 
good  medicine,  and  I  forget  painful  feelings  in 
strong  hope  for  the  future.  We  shall  yet,  dearest 
wife,  enjoy  quiet  and  happiness  together :  these  are 
nearly  one  and  the  same  to  me  now.  I  make  fre 
quently  pleasant  pictures  of  the  happy  home  we  are 
to  have,  and  oftenest,  and  among  the  pleasantest  of 
all,  I  see  our  library  with  its  bright  fire  in  the  rainy 
stormy  days,  and  the  large  windows  looking  out 
upon  the  sea  in  the  bright  weather.  I  have  it  all 
planned  in  my  own  mind.  It  is  getting  late  now. 
La  Harpe  says  that  there  are  two  gods  which  are 


228  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

very  dear  to  us, — hope  and  sleep.  My  homage  shall 
be  equally  divided  between  them:  both  make  the 
time  pass  lightly  until  I  see  you.  So  I  go  now  to 
pay  a  willing  tribute  to  one,  with  my  heart  full  of 
the  other." 


CHAPTER  Y. 

COLONEL  FREMONT'S  FIFTH  EXPEDITION,  AND  POLITICAL 

HONORS.      , 

THUS  did  this  intrepid  explorer  labor  to  obtain 
a  secure  and  practicable  path  which  might  conduct 
him  to  Sacramento.  He  may  be  said  to  have  then 
thrown  open,  with  his  own  hands,  the  golden  gates 
of  that  new  El  Dorado,  which  have  since  glittered 
from  afar  upon  the  delighted  vision  of  so  many 
myriads  of  ardent  and  enthusiastic  adventurers. 
His  journey  lay  upon  the  straight  line  of  the  thirty- 
eighth  and  thirty-ninth  degrees.  It  is  the  same 
route  which  prudence  and  wise  policy  indicate  as 
the  one  best  adapted  for  the  completion  of  the  Ame 
rican  Central  Pacific  Railway,  when  that  great  na 
tional  work,  so  necessary  to  the  future  development 
of  the  resources  and  capacities  of  the  Confederacy, 
shall  be  accomplished. 

On  his  arrival  in  California,  Colonel  Fremont 
expected  to  settle  and  reside  there  permanently.  In 
1847,  he  had  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land,  con 
taining  seventy  square  miles,  termed  the  Mariposaa 

20  229 


230  JOHN   C.  FREMONT 

District,  for  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars.  It  is 
situated  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  north  ot 
San  Francisco.  The  gold-mines  which  it  contains 
are  extremely  valuable ;  and  the  Valley  of  the  Mari 
posas  is  described  as  being  the  most  fertile  and  beau 
tiful  in  California.  In  January,  1852,  Fremont  filed 
his  claim  for  this  immense  tract  before  the  Commis 
sioners  appointed  to  ascertain  and  settle  the  private 
land-claims  in  the  State  of  California.  In  Decem 
ber,  1852,  his  claim  was  confirmed  by  them.  In 
September,  1853,  an  adverse  claim  was  defended 
before  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States.  This 
tribunal  decided  adversely  to  Fremont.  He  appealed 
from  their  decision  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States,  which,  after  a  thorough  investigation, 
and  a  protracted  and  learned  argument  by  counsel 
on  both  sides,  established  the  title  of  Colonel  Fre 
mont  to  the  whole  tract  claimed.* 

*  As  considerable  interest  has  been  excited  in  reference  to  this 
celebrated  estate,  we  append  the  title  under  which  Colonel  Fremont 
claims,  and  the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States, 
respecting  it. 

"  In  1844,  Manuel  Michel torrena,  then  governor  and  commandant- 
general,  issued  a  grant  of  what  is  now  known  as  the  Mariposas  pro 
perty,  to  Juan  Alvarado,  purporting  to  be  founded  upon  the  patriotic 
services  of  Alvarado,  who  had  been  conspicuous  in  the  commotions  in 
California  which  resulted  from  the  centralizing  policy  of  Mexico,  out 
of  which  grew  the  Texas  Revolution,  and  was  afterward  appointed 


JOHN  C.  FREMONT.  231 

While  devoting  his  attention  to  his  private  inte 
rests  in  California,  Colonel  Fremont  was  elected  to 

governor  by  the  provincial  deputation.  In  1837,  he  repelled  the 
effort  of  Cavallo,  who  had  been  appointed  governor  by  Mexico,  to 
take  possession  of  the  government,  and  was  afterward  confirmed  as 
Governor  of  California  by  the  constitutional  authorities  of  Mexico. 
He  continued  in  that  office  until  Micheltorrena  was  appointed  to  suc 
ceed  him,  and  he  was  appointed  first  counsellor  of  the  departmental 
junta  with  a  salary  of  $1500.  For  these  services  the  following 
grant  was  made: — 

"  '  Whereas,  Don  Juan  B.  Alvarado,  colonel  of  the  auxiliary  militia 
of  this  department,  is  worthy  for  his  patriotic  services  to  be  pre 
ferred  in  his  pretension  for  his  personal  benefit  and  that  of  his  family, 
for  the  tract  of  land  known  by  the  name  of  the  Mariposas,  to  the  ex 
tent  of  ten  square  leagues,  (sitios  de  ganado  mayo^,)  within  the  limits 
of  the  Snow  Mountain  (Sierra  Nevada)  and  the  rivers  known  by  the 
names  of  the  Chauchilles,  of  the  Mereed,  and  the  San  Joaquin,  the 
necessary  requirements,  according  to  the  provisions  of  the  laws  and 
regulations,  having  been  previously  complied  with,  by  virtue  of  the 
authority  in  me  vested,  in  the  name  of  the  Mexican  nation,  I  have 
granted  to  him  the  aforesaid  tract,  declaring  the  same  by  these  pre 
sents  his  property  in  fee,  subject  to  the  approbation  of  the  Most  Ex 
cellent  the  Departmental  Assembly  and  to  the  following  conditions  :— 

"  *  1.  He  shall  not  sell,  alienate,  or  mortgage  the  same,  nor  subject 
it  to  taxes,  entail,  or  any  other  encumbrance. 

"<2.  He  may  enclose  it  without  obstructing  the  crossings,  tho 
roads,  or  the  right  of  way:  he  shall  enjoy  the  same  freely  and  with 
out  hinderance,  destining  it  to  such  use  or  cultivation  as  may  most 
suit  him ;  but  he  shall  build  a  house  within  a  year,  and  it  shall  be 
inhabited. 

"  '  3.  He  shall  solicit,  from  the  proper  magistrate,  the  judicial  pos- 


232  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

represent  the  Territory  in  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States.  William  "W.  Gwinn  was  his  associate.  The 

session  of  the  same,  by  virtue  of  this  patent,  by  whom  the  boundaries 
shall  be  marked  out,  on  the  limits  of  which  he  (the  grantee)  shall 
place  the  proper  landmarks. 

" « 4.  The  track  of  land  granted  is  ten  sitios  de  ganado  mayor, 
(ten  square  leagues,)  as  before  mentioned.  The  magistrate  who  may 
give  the  possession  shall  cause  the  same  to  be  surveyed  according  to 
the  ordinance,  the  surplus  remaining  to  the  nation  for  the  proper 
uses. 

" '  5.  Should  he  violate  the  conditions,  he  will  lose  his  right  to  the 
land,  and  it  will  be  subject  to  being  denounced  by  another. 

"  '  Therefore,  I  command  that  these  presents  being  firm  and  bind 
ing,  that  the  same  be  registered  in  the  proper  book,  and  delivered  to 
the  party  interested  for  his  security  and  other  purposes. 

"  « Given  in  Monterey,  this  20th  day  of  the  month  of  February,  in 

the  year  of  1844. 

" «  MANUEL  MICHELTORRENA. 
"'MANUEL  TIMENO,  Secretary.1 

"  On  the  10th  of  February,  1847,  Alvarado  executed  a  deed  of  the 
property  as  described  in  his  own  grant  to  Colonel  Fremont,  with  a 
general  warranty  of  title.  The  consideration  stated  in  the  conveyance 
was  $3000.  On  the  21st  of  January,  1852,  he  filed  his  claim  before 
the  commissioners  appointed  to  ascertain  and  settle  the  private  land- 
claims  in  the  State  of  California,  and  in  December,  1852,  the  grant 
was  confirmed.  On  the  20th  of  September,  1853,  there  was  filed 
in  the  oflice  of  the  commissioners  a  notice  from  Mr.  Attorney-General 
Cushing,  that  an  appeal  from  the  decision  of  the  commissioners 
to  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  would  be  prosectited, 
and  in  consequence  of  that  appeal  the  decision  of  the  commissioners 
was  reversed  on  the  7th  of  January,  1854.  An  appeal  was  taken 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  233 

career  of  Fremont  in  the  Senate  was  limited  in 
duration,  in  consequence  of  his  having  drawn  the 

from  that  decision  by  Colonel  Fremont  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.  The  case  was  argued  on  the  part  of  Colonel  Fremont 
by  Wm.  Carey  Jones,  Mr.  Bibb,  and  Mr.  Crittenden ;  on  the  part  of 
the  Government  by  Caleb  Gushing,  Attorney-General.  The  grounds 
taken  against  the  title  by  the  Government  were  as  follows : — 

"  '  1.  That  Fremont's  claim  is  on  a  gratuitous  colonization-grant  by 
the  Mexican  governor  of  California  to  one  Alvarado,  of  which  there 
had  been  no  surveys,  no  plan,  no  occupation,  no  site  even,  no  confirma 
tion  by  the  proper  public  authority,  no  performance  of  any  of  the 
conditions  precedent  or  subsequent  annexed  to  the  grant. 

" '  2.  That  the  concession  to  Alvarado  was  null  for  uncertainty  of 
description  and  incapability  of  definite  location. 

'"3.  That  the  concession  was  not  confirmed  by  the  Departmental 
Assembly,  and  was  not  therefore  entitled  to  confirmation  by  the  United 
States  courts. 

" « 4.  That  the  grant  was  void  because  the  conditions  annexed  had 
never  been  performed. 

" '  5.  That  until  the  governor-general  confirmed  the  concession  the 
title  remained  in  the  crown. 

"'6.  That  none  of  the  excuses  for  non-performance  alleged  in 
Alvarado's  behalf  possessed  legal  force. 

"'7.  That  the  grant  to  Alvarado  was  a  gratuitous  one,  except  in 
so  far  as  the  performance  of  the  conditions  would  relate  back  to  con 
stitute  a  consideration. 

"  '8.  That  the  original  petition,  the  provisional  grant,  and  the 
decree  of  the  commissioners,  each  assumed  a  floating  claim  not  as  a 
grant  of  an  identical  trust  of  land  by  metes  and  bounds.' 

"  The  Supreme  Court  took  a  different  view  of  the  case  from  Mr. 
Gushing, — reversed  the  decision  of  the  District  Court  of  California, 

20* 


234  JOHN  C.  FREMONT. 

short  period  by  lot.  Three  weeks  only  of  that  term 
remained ;  but  during  that  brief  interval  he  was  con- 

and  confirmed  Colonel  Fremont's  title  in  every  particular.  Chief- 
Justice  Taney  delivered  the  opinion  of  the  court,  in  the  course  of 
which,  while  speaking  of  the  provision  against  alienation  attached  to 
Alvarado's  grant,  and  which,  he  said,  was  void,  as  being  in  violation 
of  a  decree  of  the  Mexican  Congress,  he  observes : — 

" '  But  if  this  condition  was  valid  by  the  laws  of  Mexico,  and  if 
any  conveyance  made  by  Alvarado  would  have  forfeited  the  land  under 
the  Mexican  Government  as  a  breach  of  this  condition,  or  if  it  would 
have  been  forfeited  by  a  conveyance  to  an  alien,  it  does  not  by  any 
means  follow  that  the  same  penalty  would  have  been  incurred  by  the 
conveyance  to  Fremont. 

"  '  California  was  at  that  time  in  possession  of  the  American  forces, 
and  held  by  the  United  States  as  a  conquered  country,  subject  to  the 
authority  of  the  American  Government.  The  Mexican  municipal 
laws  which  were  then  administered  were  administered  under  the 
authority  of  the  United  States,  and  might  be  repealed  or  abrogated  at 
their  pleasure ;  and  any  Mexican  law  inconsistent  with  the  rights  of 
the  United  States  or  its  public  policy,  or  with  the  rights  of  its  citizens, 
was  annulled  by  the  conquest.  Now,  there  is  no  principle  of  publio 
law  which  prohibits  the  citizen  of  a  conquering  country  from  pur 
chasing  property,  real  or  personal,  in  the  territory  thus  acquired  and 
lield ;  nor  is  there  any  thing  in  the  principles  of  our  Government,  in 
its  policy,  or  in  its  laws,  which  forfeits  it.  The  Mexican  Government, 
if  it  had  regained  the  power,  and  it  had  been  its  policy  to  prevent  the 
alienation  of  real  estate,  might  have  treated  the  sale  by  Alvarado  as 
a  violation  of  its  laws ;  but  it  becomes  a  very  different  question  when 
the  American  Government  is  called  on  to  execute  the  Mexican  law. 
And  it  aan  hardly  be  maintained  that  an  American  citizen,  who  makes 
a  contract  or  purchases  property  under  such  circumstances,  can  be 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  235 

stantly  engaged  in  proposing  measures  of  wise  and 
judicious  legislation,  which  were  necessary  to  com 
plete  and  consolidate  the  government  of  California, 
which  had  been  recently  admitted  as  a  State/ 
Eighteen  bills  of  this  nature  were  proposed  by  him ; 
and  many  of  them  were  passed.  On  the  31st  of  March, 
1851,  his  term  in  the  Senate  expired;  after  which 
period  he  returned  to  California,  to  renew  his  atten 
tion  to  his  private  affairs,  which  had  been  much 
neglected  in  consequence  of  his  devotion  to  public 
duties.  He  proceeded  to  take  additional  steps  to 
perfect  his  title  to  Mariposas.  He  had  the  land  sur 
veyed  and  mapped.  He  devoted  much  time  and  labor 
to  cattle-rearing.  In  1852,  his  business  relations  called 
him  to  England  and  France,  in  which  countries  he 
spent  a  year.  In  March,  1852,  an  appropriation  was 

punished  in  a  court  of  the  United  States  with  the  penalty  of  forfeit 
ure,  when  there  is  no  law  of  Congress  to  inflict  it.  The  purchase  was 
perfectly  consistent  with  the  rights  and  duties  of  Colonel  Fremont  as 
an  American  ofiicer  and  an  American  citizen ;  and  the  country  in  which 
he  made  the  purchase  was,  at  the  time,  subject  to  the  authority  and 

dominion  of  the  United  States 

"  « Upon  the  whole,  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  court  that  the  claim  of 
the  petitioner  is  valid,  and  ought  to  be  confirmed.  The  decree  of  the 
.District  Court  must,  therefore,  be  reversed,  and  the  case  remanded, 
with  directions  to  the  District  Court  to  enter  a  decree  conformably  to 
this  opinion.'"* 

•  See  Howard's  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  Reports,  vol.  xvii.  pp.  564,  565. 


236  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

made  by  Congress  for  the  purpose  of  surveying 
three  routes  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  from  which  to 
select  a  highway  from  the  Mississippi  toward  the 
land  of  gold.  This  proposition  at  once  aroused 
the  slumbering  interest  of  the  distinguished  ex 
plorer  in  the  enterprise  to  which  so  valuable  a  por 
tion  of  his  life  had  been  already  devoted.  He  im 
mediately  left  Paris,  in  June,  1853,  and  returned  to 
the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  commencing 
his  fifth  and  last  great  exploration  across  the  west 
ern  half  of  the  North  American  continent. 

At  the  commencement  of  this  journey  Colonel 
Fremont  was  attacked  with  a  very  severe  illness, 
which  compelled  him  to  return  to  St.  Louis  for 
medical  treatment.  After  three  weeks'  delay,  he  was 
able  to  follow  his  company  of  twenty-two  men,  half 
of  whom  were  able-bodied  Delaware  Indians.  They 
had  continued  their  route  by  his  orders.  On  the 
30th  of  October,  he  rejoined  them  at  the  Saline  Fork 
of  the  Kansas  Eiver,  better  known  by  the  epithet  of 
Salt  Creek.  This  spot  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a 
wide  prairie,  which  extended  for  many  miles  in 
every  direction.  "When  Colonel  Fremont  returned 
to  his  company,  the  grass  was  on  fire  on  all  'sides  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  The  Delaware  Indians 
had  picketed  their  animals  near  the  creek,  on  the 
banks  of  which  they  had  encamped,  and  thither  all 


JOHN   C.  FKEMONT.  237 

the  baggage  had  been  removed,  as  to  the  place  of 
greatest  safety.  While  the  whole  company  were 
gazing  silently  upon  the  sublime  spectacle  which 
was  thus  presented  to  their  view,  several  horsemen 
were  suddenly  seen  approaching  the  spot  at  the  top 
of  their  speed  and  boldly  riding  through  the  tumul 
tuous  ocean  of  flame.  It  proved  to  be  Colonel  Fre 
mont,  his  physician,  and  their  attendant.  They 
were  received  with  enthusiastic  shouts  of  joy. 

The  next  day  the  journey  was  resumed.  During 
the  night  the  fire  had  crossed  the  Kansas  Eiver, 
and  it  was  then  raging  along  the  line  of  their 
further  progress.  The  only  possible  escape  was 
through  the  blazing  grass;  and,  as  soon  as  the 
animals  were  packed  and  the  camp  was  raised, 
Colonel  Fremont  mounted  and  dashed  forward  at  a 
gallop  through  the  flames,  followed  by  the  rest  of 
the  company.  About  a  hundred  feet  were  thus 
rapidly  traversed  without  any  serious  consequences 
being  felt  from  the  effects  of  the  burning  grass. 

The  country  now  to  be  examined  comprised  three- 
fourths  of  the  distance  which  intervened  from  the 
Missouri  frontier,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kansas  Eiver, 
to  the  foot  of  the  "Wahsatch  Mountains,  within  the  rim 
of  the  Great  Basin.  The  line  to  be  pursued  was  be 
tween  the  thirty-eighth  and  thirty-ninth  parallels  of 
latitude.  The  whole  extent  of  the  route  was  about 


238  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

fifteen  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  through  territories  in 
a  great  measure  unknown  and  untrodden  by  the 
foot  of  the  white  man.  The  first  section  of  this  re 
gion  extends  for  seven  hundred  miles,  from  Missouri 
to  the  base  of  the  Sierra  Blanca.  The  second  or 
middle  portion  reaches  from  the  Sierra  Blanca  to 
the  Wahsatch  Mountains, — about  four  hundred  and 
fifty  miles.  Here  the  first  and  lonely  settlement  of 
the  Mormons  existed.  The  third,  or  most  western 
division,  includes  the  mountainous  plateau  lying  be 
tween  the  "Wahsatch  Mountains  and  the  Sierra  Ne 
vada, — a  distance  of  about  four  hundred  miles. 

During  the  progress  of  this  journey  the  company 
experienced  the  usual  incidents  of  labor  and  of  suf 
fering  which  had  attended  the  preceding  expeditions. 
Near  the  Sand  Hill  Pass  they  first  found  traces  of 
the  Utah  Indians.  They  there  met  and  killed  a 
young  wild  horse  for  food.  The  next  day  a  party 
of  Utahs  came  into  the  camp^and  demanded  pay 
ment  for  the  slain  animal,  alleging  that  it  belonged 
to  one  of  their  squaws.  They  were  paid  for  it  in 
knives,  blankets,  and  other  utensils.  But  the  next 
day  the  expedition  was  visited  by  another  and  a 
different  company  of  the  same  tribe  of  Indians,  who 
exhibited  a  more  warlike  appearance.  They  declared  • 
that  the  preceding  party  had  not  owned  the  horse, 
that  they  had  no  right  to  receive  payment  for  its  loss, 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  239 

and  that  they  were  the  rightful  possessors.  They 
added  that  unless  they  received  "a  great  deal  of 
red  cloth,  blankets,  knives,  and  powder,'*  they 
would  massacre  the  whole  company.  Colonel  Fre 
mont  was  not  intimidated  by  these  threats.  He  was 
well  acquainted  with  the  character  of  these  Indians, 
and  refused  to  comply  with  their  demands,  although 
they  were  all  well  armed  with  rifles,  bows,  and  ar 
rows.  He  directed  one  of  his  men  to  take  out  his 
Colt's  revolver,  containing  six  barrels,  to  tell  the 
Indians  that  the  white  man  could  shoot  as  often  as 
he  pleased  without  reloading,  and  then  to  discharge 
his  weapon  a  number  of  times  rapidly  in  succession. 
He  did  so ;  and  the  savages,  unable  to  explain  the 
mysterious  phenomenon,  at  once  acknowledged  the 
superior  effectiveness  of  the  white  man's  arms,  pro 
fessed  friendship,  changed  their  tone  to  one  of  sup- 
plicationy  begged  what  articles  they  could  obtain 
from  the  generosity  of  the  strangers,  and  then 
quietly  withdrew. 

As  time  and  their  journey  advanced,  the  suffer 
ings  of  the  expedition  became  more  intense.  For 
several  months,  as  they  traversed  the  snowy  and 
rugged  solitudes  of  the  mountains,  they  subsisted 
on  horseflesh.  Their  custom  was,  when  an  animal 
gave  out,  to  shoot  him  down,  immediately  to  divide 
the  carcass  into  twenty-two  parts  and  distribute 


240  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

them  to  the  men.  One  horse  generally  furnished 
six  meals  for  the  whole  party.  The  entrails  were 
well  shaken,  for  the  men  had  no  water  wherewith  to 
wash  tjiem.  They  were  then  boiled  with  snow. 
The  hide  was  divided  into  equal  portions,  and  with 
the  hones,  was  roasted  to  a  crisp.  "When  the  cactus- 
leaves  could  be  obtained,  they  were  separated  from 
the  prickles  and  boiled  as  a  salad.  Thus  they 
lived,  or  rather  starved,  during  fifty  days ;  and  they 
travelled  over  a  large  portion  of  the  way  on  foot. 
During  part  of  the  journey  some  of  the  men  were 
without  shoes.  On  the  7th  of  February,  1854,  Oliver 
Fullen,  of  St.  Louis,  expired.  He  had  travelled  for 
some  weeks  on  foot.  At  length,  his  feet  being 
badly  frozen,  he  found  himself  unable  to  proceed. 
He  was  wrapped  in  his  blankets,  laid  across  the 
path,  while  the  company  waited  three  days  to  enable 
him  to  recruit.  At  last  they  were  compelled  to  re 
sume  their  journey.  The  best  remaining  mule  was 
assigned  for  the  use  of  the  invalid,  and  two  men 
walked  on  either  side  to  support  him.  When 
nearly  at  the  end  of  their  sufferings,  he  expired, 
while  lying  on  the  mule ;  and  he  was  immediately 
buried  by  his  surviving  comrades  on  the  lonely  spot 
where  he  died,  hundreds  of  miles  from  his  home 
and  from  those  who  were  most  deeply  interested  in 
his  fate. 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  241 

aving  reached  the  "Wahsatch  Mountains,  Colonel 
Fremont  had  accomplished  two  grand  divisions  of 
his  task.  A  third  yet  remained.  This  was  to  ex 
plore  the  mountainous  plateau  between  those  moun 
tains  and  the  Sierra  Nevada  of  California.  Two 
routes  had  suggested  themselves  to  Colonel  Fre 
mont  as  worthy  of  examination ; —  one  directly 
across  the  plateau  between  the  thirty-seventh  and 
thirty-eighth  parallels  of  latitude,  the  other  keep 
ing  to  the  south  of  the  mountains  and  following 
the  valley  of  the  Virgin  River  two  hundred  miles 
to  the  head  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley.  The  latter 
route  had  been  partially  examined  already  by  Major 
Steele,  of  Parawan;  Colonel  Fremont  therefore 
resolved  to  select  the  other  much  more  difficult 
one,  which  he  believed  also  to  be  the  more  direct 
line  toward  San  Francisco. 

He  found  the  country  to  be  a  high  table-land, 
filled  with  mountains,  and  intersected  by  numerous 
open  and  low  passes.  The  valleys  were  dry  and 
naked,  without  wood  or  water ;  the  mountains  were 
covered  with  pines;  springs  were  rare;  and  small 
streams  of  water  were  found  only  at  long  intervals. 
He  met  no  human  creature  here  during  a  journey 
of  three  hundred  miles.  He  struck  the  Sierra 
Nevada  about  the  thirty-seventh  parallel,  on  the 

of  March.    He  found  these  mountains  to  be 
Q  21 


15th 


242  JOHN   C.  FREMONT, 

very  abrupt  and  covered  -with  snow.  The  highest 
point  which  he  reached  was  nine  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  At  length  the  expedi 
tion  ended  its  arduous  labors  on  the  1st  of  May, 
1854,  and,  passing  down  from  the  mountainous  and 
Bnowy  regions  among  which  they  had  so  long  toiled, 
they  entered  the  welcome  bosom  of  the  Valley  of 
San  Joaquin,  which  led  them  out  into  the  open 
inhabited  country,  through  a  long,  smooth  passage 
along  which  a  wagon  might  travel,  without  the  least 
impediment  or  danger,  for  forty  consecutive  miles. 
They  reached  the  termination  of  their  toils  just  in 
time  to  avoid  starvation  ;  for  they  had  subsisted  for 
weeks  on  horse-meat,  and  their  last  supply  of  this 
delicate  nutriment  had  been  entirely  exhausted  two 
days  previous  to  their  attaining  the  confines  of  civil 
ization.  Fremont  had  completed  his  explorations 
and  scientific  investigations,  commencing  at  the  very 
spot  from  which  his  guide  had  gone  astray  on  his 
fourth  expedition ;  thus  evincing  the  singular  con 
stancy  and  perseverance  with  which  this  great  hero 
of  exploring  science  executed  the  high  and  daring 
purposes  of  usefulness  which  he  had  once  conceived. 
The  following  description  of  the  results  of  this 
expedition  by  Colonel  Fremont  himself  affords  some 
conception  of  the  value  of  the  fruits  which  ensued 
from  his  labors : 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  243 

"  To  the  Editors  of  the  National  Intelligencer. 

"  GENTLEMEN  : — While  the  proceedings  in  Congress 
are  occupying  public  attention,  more  particularly 
with  the  subject  of  a  Pacific  railway,  I  desire  to 
offer  to  your  paper  for  publication  some  general 
results  of  a  recent  winter-expedition  across  the 
Hocky  Mountains,  confining  myself  to  mere  results, 
in  anticipation  of  a  fuller  report,  with  maps  and 
illustrations,  which,  will  necessarily  require  some 
months  to  prepare. 

"  The  country  examined  was  for  about  three-fourths 
of  the  distance — from  the  Missouri  frontier,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Kansas  Biver,  to  the  Valley  of  Para- 
wan,  at  the  foot  of  the  Wahsatch.  Mountains,  within 
the  rim  of  the  Great  Basin,  at  its  southeastern  bend — 
along  and  between  the  38th  and  39th,  parallels  of 
latitude  ;  and  the  whole  line  divides  itself  naturally 
into  three  sections,  which  may  be  conveniently  fol 
lowed  in  description. 

"  The  fast  or  eastern  section  consists  of  the  great 
prairie-slope  spreading  from  the  base  of  the  Sierra 
Blanca  to  the  Missouri  frontier, — about  seven  hun 
dred  miles;  the  second  or  middle  section  compre 
hends  the  various  Rocky  Mountain  ranges  and  in- 
terlying  valleys,  between  the  termination  of  the 
Great  Plains,  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierra  Blanca,  and 


244  JOHN   C.   FREMONT. 

the  Great  Basin  of  the  Parawan  Valley  and  "Wah- 
satch  Mountains,  where  the  first  Mormon  settle 
ment  is  found, — about  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles; 
the  third  or  western  section  comprehends  the  moun 
tainous  plateau  lying  between  the  Wahsatch  Moun 
tains  and  the  Sierra  Nevada, — a  distance  of  about 
four  hundred  miles. 

"  The  country  examined  was  upon  a  very  direct 
line,  the  travelled  route  being  about  one  thousand 
five  hundred  and  fifty  miles  over  an  air-line  distance 
of  about  thirteen  hundred  miles. 

"  The  First  Section. — Four  separate  expeditions 
across  this  section,  made  before  the  present  one,  and 
which  carried  me  over  various  lines  at  different  sea 
sons  of  the  year,  enable  me  to  speak  of  it  with  the 
confidence  of  intimate  knowledge.  It  is  a  plain  of 
easy  inclination,  sweeping  directly  up  to  the  foot 
of  the  mountains  which  dominate  it  as  highlands 
do  the  ocean.  Its  character  is  open  prairie,  over 
which  summer  travelling  is  made  in  every  direc 
tion. 

"For  a  railway  or  a  winter-travelling  road,  the 
route  would  be,  in  consideration  of  wood,  coal, 
building-stone,  water,  and  fertile  land,  about  two 
hundred  miles  up  the  immediate  valley  of  Kansas, 
(which  might  be  made  one  rich  continuous  corn 
field,)  and  afterward  along  the  immediate  valley  of 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  245 

the  Upper  Arkansas,  of  which  about  two  hundred 
miles,  as  you  approach  the  mountains,  is  continu 
ously  well  adapted  to  settlements  as  well  as  to  roads. 
Numerous  well- watered  and  fertile  valleys,  broad  and 
level,  open  up  among  the  mountains,  which  present 
themselves  in  detatched  blocks,  outliers,  gradually 
closing  in  around  the  heads  of  the  streams,  but 
leaving  open  approaches  to  the  central  ridges.  The 
whole  of  the  intermountain  region  is  abundant  in 
grasses,  wood,  coal,  and  fertile  soil.  The  Pueblos 
above  Bent's  Fort  prove  it  to  be  well  adapted  to  the 
grains  and  vegetables  common  to  the  latitude, — in 
cluding  Indian  corn,  which  ripens  well, — and  to  the 
support  of  healthy  stock,  which  increase  well  and 
take  care  of  themselves  summer  and  winter. 

"  The  climate  is  mild  and  the  winters  short,  the 
autumn  usually  having  its  full  length  of  bright,  open 
weather,  without  snow,  which  in  winter  falls  rarely 
and  passes  oft'  quickly.  In  this  belt  of  country  lying 
along  the  mountains  the  snow  falls  more  early  and 
much  more  thinly  than  in  the  open  plains  to  tho 
eastward:  the  storms  congregate  about  the  high, 
mountains  and  leave  the  valleys  free.  In  the  begin 
ning  of  December  we  found  yet  no  snow  on  the 
Huerfano  Biver,  and  were  informed  by  an  old  resi 
dent,  then  engaged  in  establishing  a  farm  at  the 
mouth  of  this  stream,  that  snow  seldom  or  never 

21* 


246  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

* 

falls  there,  and  that  cattle  were  left  in  the  range  aL 
the  winter  through. 

"  This  character  of  country  continued  to  the  foot 
of  the  dividing  crest,  and  to  this  point  our  journey 
resulted  in  showing  a  very  easy  grade  for  a  road, 
over  a  country  unobstructed  either  by  snow  or  other 
impediments,  and  having  all  the  elements  necessary 
to  the  prosperity  of  an  agricultural  population,  in 
fertility  of  soil,  abundance  of  food  for  stock,  wood 
and  coal  for  fuel,  and  timber  for  necessary  con 
structions. 

"Our  examinations  around  the  southern  head 
waters  of  the  Arkansas  have  made  us  acquainted 
with  many  passes,  grouped  together  in  a  small  space 
of  country,  conducting  by  short  and  practicable 
valleys  from  the  waters  of  the  Arkansas  just  de 
scribed,  to  the  valleys  of  the  Del  Norte  and  East 
Colorado.  The  Sierra  Blanca,  through  which  these 
passes  lie,  is  high  and  rugged,  presenting  a  very 
broken  appearance,  but  rises  abruptly  from  the  open 
country  on  either  side,  narrowed  at  the  points 
through  which  the  passes  are  cut,  leaving  them  only 
six  or  eight  miles  in  length  from  valley  to  valley, 
and  entirely  unobstructed  by  outlying  ranges  or 
broken  country.  To  the  best  of  these  passes  the 
ascent  is  along  the  open  valley  of  water-courses, 
uniform  and  very  gradual  in  ascent.  Standing  im- 


JOHN  C.  FREMONT.  247 

i 

mediately  at  the  mouth  of  the  Sand  Hill  Pass, — one 
of  the  most  practicable  in  the  Sierra  Blanca,  and 
above  those  usually  travelled, — at  one  of  the  remotest 
head-springs  of  the  Huerfano  River,  the  eye  of  the 
traveller  follows  down  without  obstruction  or  abrupt 
descent  along  the  gradual  slope  of  the  valley  to  the 
great  plains  which  reach  the  Missouri.  The  straight 
river  and  the  open  valley  form,  with  the  plains  be 
yond,  one  great  slope,  without  a  hill  to  break  the 
line  of  sight  or  obstruct  the  course  of  the  road.  On 
either  side  of  this  line  hills  slope  easily  to  the  river, 
with  lines  of  timber  and  yellow  autumnal  grass,  and 
the  water  which  flows  smoothly  between  is  not  in 
terrupted  by  a  fall  in  its  course  to  the  ocean.  The 
surrounding  country  is  wooded  with  pines  and 
covered  with  luxuriant  grasses  up  to  the  very  crags 
of  the  central  summits.  On  the  8th  of  December 
we  found  this  whole  country  free  from  snow;  and 
Daguerre  views  taken  at  this  time  show  the  grass 
entirely  uncovered  in  the  passes. 

"  Along  all  this  line  the  elevation  was  carefully 
determined  by  frequent  barometrical  observations, 
and  its  character  exhibited  by  a  series  of  daguerreo 
type  views,  comprehending  the  face  of  the  country 
almost  continuously,  or  at  least  sufficiently  so  to 
give  a  thoroughly  correct  impression  of  the  whole. 

-"Two   tunnel-like  passes  pierce   the  mountains 


24:8  JOHN  C.  FREMONT. 

here  almost  in  juxtaposition,  connecting  the  plain- 
country  on  either  side  by  short  passages  five  to  eight 
miles  long.  The  mountains  which  they  perforate 
constitute  the  only  obstruction,  and  are  the  only 
break  in  the  plane  or  valley  line  of  road  from  the 
frontier  of  Missouri  to  the  summit-hills  of  the  Eocky 
Mountains, — a  distance  of  about  eight  hundred  and 
fifty  miles,  or  more  than  half-way  to  the  San  Joaquin 
Valley.  Entering  one  of  these  passes  from  the 
eastern  plain,  a  distance  of  about  one  mile  upon 
a  wagon-road,  already  travelled  by  wagons,  com 
mands  an  open  view  of  the  broad  Valley  of  San  Luis 
and  the  great  range  of  San  Juan  beyond  on  its  west 
ern  side.  I  here  connected  the  line  of  the  present 
expedition  with  one  explored  in  1848-49  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Kansas  to  this  point;  and  the  results 
of  both  will  be  embodied  in  a  full  report. 

"  At  this  place  the  line  entered  the  middle  section, 
and  continued  its  western  course  over  an  open  valley- 
country,  admirably  adapted  for  settlement,  across 
the  San  Luis  Valley,  and  up  the  flat  bottom-lands 
of  the  Sahwatch  to  the  heights  of  the  central  ridge 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Across  those  wooded 
heights, — wooded  and  grass-covered  up  to  and  over 
their  rounded  summits, — to  the  Choocha-to-pe  Pass, 
the  line  followed  an  open,  easy  wagon-way,  such 
as  is  usual  to  a  rolling  country.  On  the  high  sum- 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  249 

mit-lands  were  forests  of  coniferous  trees,  and  the 
snow  in  the  pass  was  four  inches  deep.  This  waa 
on  the  14th  of  December.  A  day  earlier  our  horses' 
feet  would  not  have  touched  snow  in  the  crossing. 
Up  to  this  point  we  had  enjoyed  clear  and  dry  plea 
sant  weather.  Our  journey  had  been  all  along  on 
dry  ground;  and,  travelling  slowly  along,  waiting 
for  the  winter,  there  had  been  abundant  leisure  for 
becoming  acquainted  with  the  country.  The  open 
character  of  the  country,  joined  to  good  information, 
indicated  the  existence  of  other  passes  about  the 
head  of  the  Sahwatch.  This  it  was  desirable  to 
verify,  and  especially  to  examine  a  neighboring  and 
lower  pass  connecting  more  directly  with  the  Ar 
kansas  Valley,  known  as  the  Poow-che. 

"But  the  winter  had  now  set  in  over  all  the 
mountain-regions,  and  the  country^as  so  constantly 
enveloped  and  hidden  in  clouds  which  rested  upon 
it,  and  the  air  so  darkened  by  falling  snow,  that 
exploring  became  difficult  and  dangerous  precisely 
where  we  felt  most  interested  in  making  a  thorough 
examination.  We  were  moving,  in  fogs  and  clouds, 
through  a  region  wholly  unknown  to  us,  and  with 
out  guides,  and  were  therefore  obliged  to  content 
ourselves  with  the  examination  of  a  single  line  and 
the  ascertainment  of  the  winter-condition  of  the 


250  JOHN    C.  FREMONT. 

country  over  which  it  passed, — which  was,  in  fact, 
the  main  object  of  our  expedition. 

"Our  progress  in  this  mountainous  region  was 
necessarily  slow;  and,  during  ten  days  which  it 
occupied  us  to  pass  through  about  one  hundred 
miles  of  the  mountainous  country  bordering  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Upper  Colorado  Valley,  the  great 
est  depth  of  snow  was,  among  the  pines  and  aspens, 
on  the  ridges  about  two  and  a  half  feet,  and  in  the 
valleys  about  six  inches.  The  atmosphere  is  too  cold 
and  dry  for  much  snow,  and  the  valleys,  protected 
by  the  mountains,  are  comparatively  free  from  it  and 
warm.  We  here  found  villages  of  ,Utah  Indians  in 
their  wintering  ground,  in  little  valleys  along  the 
foot  of  the  highest  mountains  and  bordering  the 
more  open  country  of  the  Colorado  Valley.  Snow 
was  here  (December  25)  only  a  few  inches  deep, — • 
the  grass  generally  appearing  above  it,  and  there 
being  none  under  trees  and  on  southern  hill-sides. 

"The  horses  of  the  Utahs  were  living  on  the 
range,  and,  notwithstanding  that  they  were  used  in 
hunting,  were  in  excellent  condition.  One  which 
we  had  occasion  to  kill  for  food  had  on  it  about  two 
inches  of  fat,  being  in  as  good  order  as  any  buffalo 
we  had  killed  in  November  on  the  eastern  plains. 
Over  this  valley-country — about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  mixes  across — the  Indians  informed  us  that  snow 


JOHN  C.  FREMONT.  *  251 

falls  only  a  few  inches  in  depth,  such  as  we  saw  it  at 
the  time. 

"The  immediate  valley  of  the  Upper  Colorado  for 
about  one  hundred  miles  in  breadth,  and  from  the 
7th  to  the  22d  of  January,  was  entirely  bare  of 
snow,  and  the  weather  resembled  that  of  autumn  in 
this  country.  The  line  here  entered  the  body  of 
mountains  known  as  the  Wahsatch  and  Chu-ter-ria 
ranges,  which  are  practicable  at  several  places  in 
this  part  of  their  course ;  but  the  falling  snow  and 
destitute  condition  of  my  party  again  interfered  to 
impede  examinations.  They  lie  between  the  Colo 
rado  Valley  and  the  Great  Basin,  and  at  their  west 
ern  base  are  established  the  Mormon  settlements  of 
Parawan  and  Cedar  City.  They  are  what  are  called 
fertile  mountains,  abundant  in  water,  wood,  and 
grass,  and  fertile  valleys,  offering  inducements  to 
settlement  and  facilities  for  making  a  road.  These 
mountains  are  a  great  storehouse  of  materials — tim 
ber,  iron,  coal — which  would  be  of  indispensable  use 
in  the  construction  and  maintenance  of  the  road, 
and  are  solid  foundations  to  build  up  the  future 
prosperity  of  the  rapidly-increasing  Utah  State. 

"  Salt  is  abundant  on  the  eastern  border-moun 
tains,  as  the  Sierra  de  Sal,  being  named  from  it.  In 
the  ranges  lying  behind  the  Mormon  settlements, 
among  the  mountains  through  which  the  line  passes, 


252  *  JOHN    C.  FREMONT. 

are  accumulated  a  great  wealth  of  iron  and  coal  and 
extensive  foresta  of  heavy  timber.  These  forests 
are  the  largest  I  am  acquainted  with  in  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  being  in  some  places  twenty  miles  in 
depth  of  continuous  forest, — the  general  growth  lofty 
and  large,  frequently  over  three  feet  in  diameter, 
and  sometimes  reaching  five  feet,  the  red  spruce 
and  yellow  pine  predominating.  At  the  actual 
southern  extremity  of  the  Mormon  settlements,  con 
sisting  of  the  two  enclosed  towns  of  Para  wan  and 
Cedar  City,  near  to  which  our  line  passed,  a  coal 
mine  has  been  opened  for  about  eighty  yards,  and 
iron-works  already  established.  Iron  here  occurs 
in  extraordinary  masses,  in  some  parts  accumulated 
into  mountains,  which  come  out  in  crests  of  solid 
iron  thirty  feet  thick  and  a  hundred  yards  long. 

"In  passing  through  this  bed  of  mountains  about 
fourteen  days  had  been  occupied, — from  January  24 
to  February  7, — the  deepest  snow  we  here  encoun 
tered  being  about  up  to  the  saddle-skirts,  or  four 
feet ;  this  occurring  only  in  occasional  drifts  in  the 
passes  on  northern  exposures,  and  in  the  small 
mountain-flats  hemmed  in  by  woods  and  hills.  In 
the  valley  it  was  sometimes  a  few  inches  deep,  and 
as  often  none  at  all.  On  our  arrival  at  the  Mormon 
settlements,  February  8,  we  found  it  a  few  inches 
deep,  and  were  there  informed  that  the  winter  had 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  253 

been  unusually  long-continued  and  severe,  the  ther 
mometer  having  been  as  low  as  17°  below  zero,  and 
more  snow  having  fallen  than  in  all  the  previous 
winters  together  since  the  establishment  of  this 
colony. 

"At  this  season  their  farmers  had  usually  been 
occupied  with  their  ploughs,  preparing  the  land  for 
grain. 

"At  this  point  the  line  of  exploration  entered  the 
third  or  western  section,  comprehending  the  moun 
tainous  plateau  between  the  "Wahsatch  Mountains  and 
the  Sierra  Nevada  of  California.  Two  routes  have 
suggested  themselves  to  me  for  examination, — one 
directly  across  the  plateau,  between  the  37th  and  38th 
parallels,  the  other  keeping  to  the  south  of  the 
mountains  and  following  for  about  two  hundred 
miles  down  a  valley  of  the  Rio  Yirgen, — Virgin 
River, — thence  direct  to  the  Tejon  Pass,  at  the  head 
of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley.  This  route  down  the 
Virgin  River  had  been  examined  the  year  before, 
with  a  view  to  settlement  this  summer,  by  a  Mormon 
exploring  party  under  the  command  of  Major  Steele, 
of  Parawan,  who  (and  others  of  the  party)  informed 
me  that  they  found  fertile  valleys  inhabited  by  In 
dians,  who  cultivated  corn  and  melons,  and  the  rich 
ground  in  many  places  matted  over  with  grape-vices. 
The  Tejon  Passes  are  two,  one  of  them  (from  the 

22 


254  JOHN  C.  FREMONT. 

abundance  of  vines  at  it£  lower  end)  called  Caxon 
de  las  Uvas.  They  were  of  long  use,  and  were  exa 
mined  by  me  and  their  practicability  ascertained 
in  my  expedition  of  1848-49;  and  in  1851  I  again 
passed  through  them  both,  bringing  three  thousand 
head  of  cattle  through  one  of  them. 

"  Knowing  the  practicability  of  these  passes,  and 
confiding  in  the  report  of  Major  Steele  as  to  the 
intermediate  country,  I  determined  to  take  the  other, 
(between  the  37th  and  38th  parallels,)  it  recommend 
ing  itself  to  me  as  being  more  direct  toward  San 
Francisco,  and  preferable  on  that  account  for  a  road, 
if  suitable  ground  could  be  found;  and  also  as  being 
unknown.  The  Mormons  informed  me  that  various 
attempts  had  been  made  to  explore  it,  and  all  failed 
for  want  of  water.  Although  biassed  in  favor  of  the 
Virgin  River  route,  I  determined  to  examine  this 
one  in  the  interest  of  geography,  and  accordingly 
set  out  for  this  purpose  from  the  settlement  about 
the  20th  of  February,  travelling  directly  westward 
from  Cedar  City,  (eighteen  miles  west  of  Parawan.) 
"We  found  the  country  a  high  table-land,  bristling 
with  mountains,  often  in  short,  isolated  blocks,  and 
sometimes  accumulated  into  considerable  ranges, 
with  numerous  open  and  low  passes. 

"JWe  were  thus  always  in  a  valley  and  always 
surrounded  by  mountains  more  or  less  closely,  which 


JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  255 

apparently  altered  in  shape  and  position  as  we  ad 
vanced.  The  valleys  are  dry  and  naked,  without 
water  or  wood;  but  the  mountains  are  generally 
covered  with  grass  and  well  wooded  with  pines: 
springs  are  very  rare,  and  occasionally  small  streams 
are  at  remote  distances.  BTot  a  human  being  was 
encountered  between  the  Santa  Clara  Road,  near  the 
Mormon  settlements,  and  the  Sierra  Nevada, — over 
a  distance  of  more  than  three  hundred  miles.  The 
solitary  character  of  this  uninhabited  region,  the 
naked  valleys  without  water-courses,  among  moun 
tains  with  fertile  soil  and  grass  and  woods  abundant, 
give  it  the  appearance  of  an  unfinished  country. 

"  Commencing  on  the  38th,  we  struck  the  Sierra 
Nevada  on  or  about  the  37th  parallel  about  the  15th 
of  March. 

"  On  our  route  across  we  had  for  the  greater  part 
of  the  time  pleasant  and  rather  warm  weather, — the 
valley-grounds  and  low  ridges  uncovered,  but  snow 
over  the  upper  parts  of  the  higher  mountains.  Be 
tween  the  20th  of  February  and  17th  of  March  we  had 
several  snow-storms,  sometimes  accompanied  with 
hail  and  heavy  thunder;  but  the  snow  remained  on 
the  valley-ground  only  a  few  hours  after  the  storm 
was  over.  It  forms  not  the  least  impediment  at  any 
time  in  the  winter.  I  was  prepared  to  find  the  sierra 
here  broad,  rugged,  and  blocked  up  with  snow,  and 


256  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

was  not  disappointed  in  my  expectation.  The  first 
range  we  attempted  to  cross  carried  us  to  an  eleva 
tion  of  eight  thousand  or  nine  thousand  feet  and 
into  impassable  snow,  which  was  further  increased 
on  the  16th  by  a  considerable  fall. 

"There  was  no  object  in  forcing  a  passage ;  and 
I  accordingly  turned  at  once  some  sixty  or  eighty 
miles  to  the  southward,  making  a  wide  sweep  to 
strike  the  point  of  the  California  Mountain  where 
the  Sierra  Nevada  suddenly  breaks  off  and  declines 
into  a  lower  country.  Information  obtained  years 
before  from  the  Indians  led  me  to  believe  that  the 
low  mountains  were  broken  into  many  passes ;  and, 
at  all  events,  I  had  the  certainty  of  an  easy  passage 
through  either  of  "Walker's  passes. 

""When  the  Point  was  reached  I  found  the  Indian 
information  fully  verified :  the  mountain  suddenly 
terminated  and  broke  down  into  lower  groum 
barely  above  the  level  of  the  country,  and  making 
numerous  openings  into  the  Valley  of  the  San  J< 
quin.  I  entered  into  the  first  which  offered,  (taking 
no  time  to  search,  as  we  were  entirely  out  of  pro- 
visions  and  living  upon  horses,)  which  led  us,  by  an 
open  and  almost  level  hollow  thirteen  miles  long,  to 
an  upland  not  steep  enough  to  be  called  a  hill,  over 
into  the  valley  of  a  small  affluent  to  Kern  Biver, — 
the  hollow  and  the  valley  making  together  a  way 


I 

JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  257 

where  a  wagon  would  not  find  any  obstruction  for 
forty  miles. 

"The  country  around  the  passes  in  which  the 
Sierra  Nevada  here  terminates  declines  considerably 
below  its  more  northern  elevations.  There  was  no 
snow  to  be  seen  at  all  on  its  eastern  face,  and  none 
in  the  pass ;  but  we  were  in  the  midst  of  opening 
spring,  flowers  blooming  in  fields  on  both  sides  of 
the  sierra. 

"Between  the  point  of  the  mountains  and  the 
head  of  the  valley  at  the  Tejon  the  passes  generally 
are  free  from  snow  throughout  the  year,  and  the 
descent  from  them  to  the  ocean  is  distributed  over  a 
long  slope  of  more  than  two  hundred  miles.  The 
low,  dry  country  and  the  long  slope,  in  contradistinc 
tion  to  the  high  country  and  short  sudden  descent 
and  heavy  snows  of  the  passes  behind  the  Bay  of 
San  Francisco,  are  among  the  considerations  which 
suggest  themselves  in  favor  of  the  route  by  the 
head  of  the  San  Joaquin. 

"  The  above  results  embody  general  impressions 
made  upon  my  mind  during  this  journey.  It  is 
clearly  established  that  the  winter  condition  of  the 
country  constitutes  no  impediment,  and,  from  what 
has  been  said,  the  entire  practicability  of  the  line 
will  be  as  clearly  inferred.  A  fuller  account  here 
after  will  comprehend  detailed  descriptions  of  the 
R  22* 


258  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

country,  with  their  absolute  and  relative  elevations, 
and  show  the  ground  upon  which  the  conclusions 
were  hased.  They  are  contributed  at  this  time  as 
an  element  to 'aid  the  public  in  forming  an  opinion 
on  the  subject  of  the  projected  railway,  and  in  gra 
tification  of  my  great  desire  to  do  something  for  its 
advancement.  It  seems  a  treason  against  mankind 
and  the  spirit  of  progress  which  marks  the  age,  to 
refuse  to  put  this  one  completing-link  to  our  national 
prosperity  and  the  civilization  of  the  world.  Europe 
still  lies  between  Asia  and  America:  build  this 
railroad,  and  things  will  have  revolved  about:  Ame 
rica  will  lie  between  Asia  and  Europe ;  the  golden 
vein  which  runs  through  the  history  of  the  world 
will  follow  the  iron  track  to  San  Francisco,  and  the 
Asiatic  trade  will  finally  fall  into  its  last  and  per 
manent  road,  when  the  new  and  the  modern  Chryse 
throw  open  their  gates  to  the  thoroughfare  of  the 
world. 

"  I  am,  gentlemen,  with  much  regard,  respectfully 

"  Yours." 

In  March,  1855,  Colonel  Fremont  removed,  with 
his  family,  to  the  city  of  New  York.  Unusual 
political  honors  were  about  to  be  conferred  upon 
this  man  of  bold  and  resolute  devotion  to  science 
and  national  development.  On  the  17th  of  June,  he 


• 

JOHN   C.  FREMONT.  259 

was  nominated  at  Philadelphia  for  the  Presidency 
of  the  United  States,  by  the  National  Eepublican 
Convention,  containing  delegates  from  all  the  "free 
States,"  and  from  Virginia,  Maryland,  Kentucky, 
Delaware,  and  the  District  of  Columbia.  He  ac 
cepted  the  nomination,  avowing,  as  the  chief  and 
most  characteristic  features  of  his  political  creed, 
his  hostility  to  the  further  extension  of  slavery  in 
States  and  Territories  which  till  then  were  free 
from  its  existence ;  his  opposition  to  the  repeal  of 
the  Missouri  Compromise;  and  his  approbation  of 
the  admission  of  Kansas  to  the  Unio*n  as  a  free 
State.  His  opponent  in  this  great  contest  was 
James  Buchanan,  of  Pennsylvania.  The  latter  was 
chosen  by  a  small  majority  of  electoral  votes,  and 
became  President  of  the  United  States.*  Colonel 
Fremont  then  returned  to  the  welcome  shades  of 
private  life,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  preparation 
of  a  full  and  elaborate  narrative  of  his  adventures 
and  researches  during  his  fifth  and  last  expedition 

*  The  popular  vote  throughout  the  Union  was  as  follows : — In  the 
"free  States,"  for  Fremont,  1,340,618;  for  Fillmore,  393,590;  for 
Buchanan,  1,224,750.  In  the  "slave  States,"  for  Fremont,  1,194; 
for  Fillmore,  479,465;  for  Buchanan,  609,587.  Total  vote  for  Fre 
mont,  1,341,812;  for  Fillmore,  873,055;  for  Buchanan,  1,834,337. 
Buchanan's  majority  over  Fremont,  492,595;  Fillmore  and  Fremont 
over  Buchanan,  381,530. 


* 

260  JOHN   C.  FREMONT. 

across  the  vast  domains  of  the  "Western  and  South 
western  Territories  of  the  Confederacy.  His  most 
exalted  praise  will  ever  continue  to  be,  that  he  has 
won  for  himself  the  honorable  distinction  of  being 
one  of  the  most  talented,  enterprising,  and  success 
ful  of  American  explorers  and  discoverers. 


PART  III. 
JOHN  LEDYAED. 

CHAPTER  I. 

YOUTH  AND  EABLY  EDUCATION  OF  LEDYAED, 

THIS  singular  man,  the  most  eccentric,  the  most 
unlucky,  and,  in  some  respects,  the  most  remarkable 
traveller  of  modern  times,  was  born  at  the  village  of 
Groton,  in  Connecticut,  in  1751.  His  family  were  of 
English  descent;  his  grandfather,  a  merchant  in 
comfortable  circumstances,  having  emigrated  'from 
Bristol  to  the  New  World  many  years  before  the 
date  of  Ledyard's  birth.  The  father  of  the  traveller 
was  a  sea-captain,  engaged  in  the  "West  India  trade, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  thirty-five,  leaving  a  widow 
and  four  children.  One  of  the  latter  was  Colonel 
"William  Ledyard,  the  commander  of  the  American 
troops  in  the  unfortunate  action  of  Fort  Griswold, 
who  was  cruelly  slain  after  the  capitulation. 

The  youth  of  John  Ledyard  was  spent  at  Groton. 

After  his  father's  death,  his  mother  married  Doctor 

261 


262  JOHN  LEDYAKD. 

Moore,  of  Southold,  on  which  occasion  John  was 
taken  by  his  grandfather  to  reside  with  himself  at 
Hartford.  At  this  early  period  the  peculiarities  of 
his  character  were  already  apparent,  and  he  was 
remarked  as  a  bold,  eccentric,  and  self-reliant  boy. 
He  attended  the  grammar-school  in  Hartford  for 
some  time,  after  which  he  entered  the  office  of 
Thomas  Seymour,  a  respectable  attorney  of  that 
city,  who  had  married  his  aunt. 

The  dry,  abstruse  details  of  legal  science  possessed 
but  few  attractions  for  a  mind  so  ardent  and  so  ima 
ginative  as  that  of  Ledyard.  He  soon  began  to 
weary  of  it,  and  expressed  his  disgust  in  no  equi 
vocal  terms.  Instead  of  being  remarked  for  attentive 
application  to  study,  he  became  notorious  for  the 
eagerness  with  which  he  embarked  in  enterprises  of 
the  most  hazardous  and  romantic  description,  in 
which  superior  courage,  energy,  and  resolution 
were  required.  He  already  seemed  to  be  utterly 
improvident  in  his  disposition,  and  indisposed  to 
anticipate  misfortunes,  to  guard  against  their  oc 
currence,  or  to  provide  for  the  responsibilities  and 
necessities  of  the  future. 

When  nineteen  years  of  age,  Dr.  "Wheelock,  the 
founder  and  president  of  Dartmouth  College,  !N"ew 
Hampshire,  who  had  been  intimate  with  Ledyard's 
grandfather,  invited  him  to  become  a  pupil  of  that 


JOHN  LEDYARD.  263 

institution.  The  offer  was  accepted,  and  in  1772 
Ledyard  commenced  a  course  of  studies  which  was 
intended  to  prepare  him  for  laboring  as  a  missionary 
among  the  Indians,  a  portion  of  whom  still  re 
mained  in  New  England.  His  journey  from  Hart 
ford  to  Hanover,  the  seat  of  the  college,  was  per 
formed  in  a  sulky,  which  attracted  much  notice 
from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  first  vehicle  of  the 
kind  which  had  ever  traversed  that  portion  of  the 
continent.  The  peculiarities  of  Ledyard  may  be 
inferred  from  the  fact  that,  even  in  this  journey,  the 
chief  bulk  of  his  baggage  consisted  of  a  theatrical 
apparatus,  with  which  he  intended  to  amuse  him 
self  and  his  associates  amid  his  more  sober  studies. 
The  prevalent  simplicity  of  things  at  that  time  may 
be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  students  of  the 
college  were  called  together  for  recitation  and  prayers 
by  the  .sound  of  a  conch-shell,  which  was  blown  by 
the  freshmen  in  their  turns. 

After  residing  four  months  at  the  college,  Led 
yard  suddenly  disappeared.  Not  the  slightest  trace 
could  be  discovered  of  his  destination.  After  the 
expiration  of  three  months  and  a  half,  he  as  sud 
denly  returned.  Then  the  mystery  of  his  strange 
absence  was  revealed.  He  had  wandered  to  the 
borders  of  Canada,  and  had  resided  among  the 
"Six  Nations."  By  this  eccentric  expedition  he 


264  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

had  acquired  considerable  knowledge  of  Indian 
manners  and  customs;  but,  at  the  same  time,  he 
had  come  to  the  deliberate  conclusion  not  to  spend 
his  life  as  a  missionary  to  the  savages.  He  secretly 
determined  to  abandon  that  project  and  the  college 
together ;  and  he  executed  his  purpose  after  a  fashion 
peculiarly  his  own. 

His  first  step  was  to  cut  down  one  of  the  immense 
forest-trees  which  reared  its  lofty  summit  toward 
heaven  a  short  distance  in  the  rear  of  the  institution. 
The  trunk  of  this  tree  he  gradually  fashioned  into 
the  shape  of  a  canoe.  The  length  of  his  craft  was 
fifty  feet ;  its  breadth  was  three.  With  the  assist 
ance  of  some  of  his  fellow-students,  he  succeeded 
in  digging  out  the  interior  of  the  mass,  and  at  last 
this  singular  product  of  his  skill  and  labor  was 
completed.  His  companions  then  aided  him  in 
launching  it  upon  the  Connecticut  Kiver. 

It  was  Ledyard's  purpose,  by  means  of  this  sin 
gular  conveyance,  to  return  to  Hartford,  and  to  float 
down  the  current  of  a  stream  with  which  he  was 
totally  unacquainted.  He  provided  himself  with  a 
oearskin  as  a  cover  from  the  inclemency  of  the 

•* 

weather;  and  with  a  sufficient  stock  of  provisions, 
copies  of  the  Greek  Testament  and  Ovid,  and  a 
paddle,  he  commenced  this  strange,  adventurous 
voyage.  He  was  carried  forward  by  the  river  in  safety 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  265 

till  he  approached  Bellows  Falls.  To  have  passed 
over  these  in  his  canoe  would  have  entailed  certain 
death.  Fortunately,  the  distant  roaring  of  the  waters 
awoke  him  from  sleep,  apprized  him  of  his  danger, 
and  enabled  him  to  escape  it  by  landing  his  canoe  and 
carrying  it,  with  the  aid  of  the  neighboring  people, 
around  and  below  the  cataract.  He  thus  travelled  a 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  down  the  river  in  safety,  or  at 
least  without  an  accident,  frequently  passing  through 
dark  forests  and  primeval  wildernesses  where  no  traces 
of  civilization  were  yet  to  be  observed.  His  arrival 
at  Hartford  in  this  singular  manner  filled  his  friends 
with  astonishment  and  dismay;  for  they  imagined 
that  he  was  at  that  moment  industriously  and  de 
voutly  preparing  himself  at  Dartmouth  for  his 
future  missionary  labors  among  the  Indians. 

Ledyard  now  consulted  with  his  friends  what  was 
best  to  be  done.  Within  a  month  after  his  deser 
tion  of  Dartmouth  College  he  had  come  to  the  de 
termination  to  study  theology  and  prepare  himself 
for  the  ministry.  On  this  subject  he  conferred  with 
Dr.  Bellamy,  a  celebrated  preacher  of  that  day. 
To  accomplish  this  result,  to  which  the  partial  and 
imprudent  recommendation  of  the  Doctor  the  more 
encouraged  him,  he  proceeded  to  Long  Island,  in 
order  to  pass  through  his  preparatory  studies.  But 

in  this   enterprise  disappointment    attended    him. 

23 


266  JOHN  LEDYARD. 

It  does  not  clearly  appear  whether  his  abandonment 
of  this  scheme  was  the  result  of  his  own  caprice 
and  inconstancy,  or  whether  it  arose  from  the  op 
position  which  others  may  have  raised  against  him 
by  placing  difficulties  in  his  way ;  all  that  is  now 
known  is  that  Ledyard's  aspirations  to  the  ministry, 
like  his  devotion  to  the  life  of  a  missionary  among 
the  Indians,  ended  in  nothing.  It  is  most  probable 
that  his  own  eccentricities  of  conduct  and  character 
were  so  great  as  to  render  the  prudent  and  pious 
very  doubtful  as  to  the  propriety  of  his  admission  to 
the  ministry,  and  that  hence  they  were  induced  to 
oppose  it. 

Thus  was  the  future  destiny  of  Ledyard  still  un 
certain  and  obscure.  Having  abandoned  all  his  pre 
vious  schemes,  he  was  now  open  for  whatever  fate, 
either  accident  or  providence,  might  assign  him ;  and 
he  next  appeared  in  a  character  entirely  different 
from  any  which  he  had  previously  assumed.  As  he 
loitered  with  his  relations  at  Hartford,  he  fell  in  with 
Captain  Deshon,  who  was  then  about  to  sail  from 
the  port  of  New  London  to  Gibraltar.  He  engaged 
himself  on  board  his  vessel  as  a  common  sailor,  and 
thus  commenced  his  long-continued  and  most  re 
markable  wanderings  over  the  face  of  the  earth. 
This  cruise  to  the  Mediterranean  occupied  a  year; 
but  during  its  progress  nothing  of  special  interest 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  267 

occurred.  Ledyard  was  now  again  adrift  after  his 
return,  and  was  ready  for  some  new  adventure. 
He  had  often  heard  that  his  family  had  relations  in 
England  who  were  immensely  rich ;  and  he  suddenly 
conceived  the  singular  project  of  visiting  them  for 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  from  them  some  advance 
ment  in  the  world. 

He  instantly  started  for  New  York,  where  he 
embarked  on  a  vessel  bound  .to  Plymouth.  Having 
arrived  at  that  port,  he  hastened  to  London.  His 
appearance  was  not  such  as  to  commend  him  to 
strangers;  but  having  discovered  his  English  rela 
tions,  he  endeavored  to  obtain  an  interview,  to  in 
troduce  himself  to  their  acquaintance,  and  to  profit 
by  their  partiality.  He  failed  ignominiously  in  all 
his  purposes.  His  rich  relatives  treated  the  unknown 
foreigner  with  suspicion  and  contempt;  and  soon 
Ledyard' s  haughty  spirit  induced  him  to  repay  their 
indignities  with  other  indignities  equally  great. 
Never  was  Ledyard  known  to  have  reached  such 
a  pitch  of  resentment  and  fury  as  that  which  he 
displayed  on  this  occasion. 

His  condition  was  now  again  friendless  and  mise 
rable.  A  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  he  was  sur 
rounded  by  poverty  and  gloom.  But  Ledyard's  in 
trepidity  of  mind  in  the  midst  of  calamities  was 
one  of  his  most  prominent  and  remarkable  charac- 


268  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

teristics.  He  never  lost  his  courage,  and  his  courage 
now  brought  him  relief.  The  celebrated  Captain 
Cook  was  at  that  moment  in  London,  preparing  for 
his  third  and  last  voyage  of  discovery  around  the 
world.  Ledyard  called  on  him,  explained  his  plans 
and  purposes,  charmed  the  hardy  explorer  with  his 
vivacity  and  good  nature,  and  obtained  permission 
to  enlist  in  his  service  as  a  corporal  of  marines. 
He  soon  became  a  special  favorite  with  this  distin- 
guished  and  adventurous  navigator. 


CHAPTER  IL 

LEDYARD'S  VOYAGE  WITH  CAPTAIN  COOK  ABOUND  THE 
WOULD. 

LEDYARD  had  at  last  obtained  an  engagement 
and  a  pursuit  suited  to  his  talents  and  character. 
The  third  expedition  of  Captain  Cook  sailed  from 
England  on  the  12th  of  July,  1776.  It  consisted  of 
two  ships, — the  Resolution,  commanded  by  Cook, 
and  the  Discovery,  commanded  by  Clerke,  They 
proceeded  to  Teneriffe,  thence  to  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  then  came  to  anchor  in  Table  Bay. 
Cook  shaped  his  course  from  that  point  toward  the 
southern  extremity  of  New  Holland,  and  at  length 
moored  in  the  bay  at  Van  Diemen's  Land.  From 
this  point  he  sailed  to  New  Zealand.  After  various 
explorations  and  experiences  in  these  islands,  Cook 
proceeded  to  Tahiti,  the  largest  of  the  Society 
Islands.  Similar  researches  were  made  throughout 
this  group,  from  which  the  ship  proceeded  to  the 
Friendly  Islands.  Resuming  his  voyage  from  this 
point,  Captain  Cook  had  the  good  fortune  to  dis 
cover  a  new  group  of  islands,  to  which  he  gave  the 

23*  269 


270  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

now  well-known  name  of  Sandwich,  and  which  till 
then  had  never  before  been  visited  by  the  feet  of 
Europeans.  He  found  a  safe  harbor  here,  and  car 
ried  on  an  extensive  intercourse  with  the  simple- 
minded  inhabitants. 

From  the  Sandwich  Islands  Cook  proceeded  to 
the  western  coast  of  North  America.  He  reached 
Nootka  Sound  without  any  accident ;  and  although 
Ledyard  was  here  three  thousand  miles  distant  from 
the  place  of  his  birth,  yet  he  describes  in  his  jour 
nal  the  intense  feeling  of  delight  with  which  he 
again  touched  the  soil  of  his  native  land.  Here  he 
formed  some  acquaintance  with  the  trade  and  the 
profits  of  the  British  and  Russian  Fur  Company, 
which  information  exercised  an  important  influence 
on  many  of  his  movements  in  subsequent  years. 
For  the  sake  of  illustrating  the  nature  of  Ledyard' s 
favorite  occupations,  as  well  as  in  order  to  exhibit 
the  literary  style  of  the  ex-student  of  theology  and 
world-wanderer,  we  make  the  following  extract 
from  the  journal  which  he  carefully  kept  during 
the  progress  of  this  remarkable  voyage.  Says  he :— - 
"I  have  before  observed  that  we  had  noticed  many 
appearances  to  the  eastward  of  this  of  a  European 
intercourse,  and  that  we  had  at  this  island  in  parti- ; 
cular  (Onalaska,  on  the  northwest  coast)  met  with 
circumstances  that  did  not  only  indicate  such  an 


JOHN  LEDYARD.  271 

intercourse,  but  seemed  strongly  to  intimate  that 
some  Europeans  were  actually  somewhere  on  the 
spot.  The  appearances  that  led  to  these  conjectures 
were  such  as  these.  We  found  among  the  inhabit 
ants  of  this  island  two  different  kinds  of  people : 
the  one  we  knew  to  be  the  aborigines  of  America,- 
while  we  supposed  the  others  to  come  from  the 
opposite  coasts  of  Asia.  There  were  two  different 
dialects  also  observed;  and  we  found  them  fond  of 
tobacco,  rum,  and  snuff.  Tobacco  we  even  found 
them  possessed  of,  and  we  observed  several  blue 
linen  shirts  and  drawers  among  them.  But  the 
most  remarkable  circumstance  was  a  cake  of  rye- 
meal  newly  baked,  with  a  piece  of  salmon  in  it, 
seasoned  with  pepper  and  salt,  which  was  brought 
and  presented  to  Cook  by  a  comely  young  chief, 
attended  by  two  of  those  Indians  whom  we  sup 
posed  to  be  Asiatics.  The  chief  seemed  anxious  to 
explain  to  Cook  the  meaning  of  the  present  and 
the  purport  of  his  visit ;  and  he  was  so  far  success 
ful  as  to  persuade  him  that  there  were  some  stran 
gers  in  the  country  who  were  white,  and  had  come 
over  the  great  waters  in  a  vessel  somewhat  like  ours, 
and,  though  not  so  large,  was  yet  much  larger  than 
theirs. 

"In  consequence  of  this,  Cook  was  determined 
to  explore  the  island.     It  was  difficult,  however,  to 


272  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

fix  upon  a  plan  that  would  at  once  answer  the  pur 
poses  of  safety  and  expedition.  An  armed  body 
would  proceed  slowly,  and,  if  they  should  be  cut  off 
by  the  Indians,  the  loss  in  our  present  circumstances 
would  be  irreparable;  and  a  single  person  would 
•entirely  risk  his  life,  though  he  would  be  much 
more  expeditious  if  unmolested,  and  if  he  should 
be  killed  the  loss  would  be  only  one.  The  latter 
seemed  the  best;  but  it  was  extremely  hard  to  single 
out  an  individual  and  command  him  to  go  upon 
such  an  expedition;  and  it  was  therefore  thought 
proper  to  send  a  volunteer  or  none.  I  was  at  this 
time,  and  indeed  ever  after,  an  intimate  friend  of 
John  Gore,  first  lieutenant  of  the  Eesolution,  a 
native  of  America  as  well  as  myself,  and  superior 
to  me  in  command.  He  recommended  me  to  Cap 
tain  Cook  to  undertake  the  expedition,  with  which 
I  immediately  acquiesced.  Captain  Cook  assured 
me  that  he  was  happy  I  had  undertaken  it,  as 
he  was  convinced  I  should  persevere;  and,  after 
giving  me  some  instructions  how  to  proceed,  he 
wished  me  well,  and  desired  I  would  not  be  longer 
absent  than  a  week  if  possible,  at  the  expiration  of 
which  he  should  expect  me  to  return.  If  I  did  not 
return  by  that  time  he  should  wait  another  week 
for  me,  and  no  longer.  The  young  chief  before 
mentioned  and  his  two  attendants  were  to  be  my 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  273 

guides.  I  took  with  me  some  presents  adapted  to 
the  taste  of  the  Indians, — brandy  in  bottles,  and 
bread,  but  no  other  provisions.  I  went  entirely 
unarmed,  by  the  advice  of  Captain  Cook.  The  first 
day  we  proceeded  about  fifteen  miles  into  the  in 
terior  part  of  the  island  without  any  remarkable 
occurrence,  until  we  approached  a  village  just  before 
night.  This  village  consisted  of  about  thirty  huts, 
some  of  them  large  and  spacious,  though  not  very 
high.  The  huts  are  composed  of  a  kind  of  slight 
frame  erected  over  a  square  hole  sunk  about  four 
feet  into  the  ground :  the  frame  is  covered  at  the 
bottom  with  turf,  and  upward  it  is  thatched  with, 
coarse  grass.  The  whole  village  was  out  to  see  us, 
and  men,  women,  and  children  crowded  about  me. 
I  was  conducted,  by  the  young  chief  who  was  my 
guide  and  seemed  proud  and  assiduous  to  serve  me, 
into  one  of  the  largest  huts.  I  was  surprised  at  the 
behavior  of  the  Indians;  for,  though  they  were 
curious  to  see  me,  yet  they  did  not  express  that 
extraordinary  curiosity  that  would  be  expected  had 
they  never  seen  a  European  before,  and  I  was  glad 
to  perceive  it,  as  it  was  an  evidence  in  favor  of  what  I 
wished  to  find, — namely,  that  there  were  Europeans 
now  among  them.  The  women  of  the  house,  which 
were  almost  the  only  ones  I  had  seen  at  this  island, 
were  much  more  tolerable  than  I  expected  to  find 


274  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

them :  one  in  particular  seemed  very  busy  to  please 
me :  to  her,  therefore,  I  made  several  presents,  with 
which  she  was  extremely  well  pleased.  As  it  was 
now  dark,  my  young  chief  intimated  to  me  that  we 
must  tarry  where  we  were  that  night  and  proceed 
farther  the  next  day,  to  which  I  very  readily  con 
sented,  being  much  fatigued.  Our  entertainment 
the  subsequent  part  of  the  evening  did  not  consist 
of  delicacies  or  much  variety :  they  had  dried  fish, 
and  I  had  bread  and  spirits,  of  which  we  all  partici 
pated.  Ceremony  was  not  invited  to  the  feast,  and 
nature  presided  over  the  entertainment. 

"At  daylight  Perpheela  (which  was  the  name  of 
the  young  chief  that  was  my  guide)  let  me  know 
that  he  was  ready  to  go  on ;  upon  which  I  flung  off 
the  skins  I  had  slept  in,  put  on  my  shoes  and  out 
side  vest,  and  arose  to  accompany  him,  repeating 
my  presents  to  my  friendly  hosts.  We  had  hitherto 
travelled  in  a  northerly  direction,  but  now  went  to 
the  westward  and  southward.  I  was  now  so  much 
relieved  from  the  apprehension  of  any  insult  or  in 
jury  from  the  Indians,  that  my  journey  would  have 
been  agreeable  had  I  not  been  taken  lame  with  a 
swelling  in  the  feet,  which  rendered  it  extremely 
painful  to  walk:  the  country  was  also  rough  and 
hilly,  and  the  weather  wet  and  cold.  About  three 
hours  before  dark  we  came  to  a  large  bay,  which 


JOHN  LEDYARD  275 

appeared  to  be  four  leagues  over.  Here  my  guide, 
Perpheela,  took  a  canoe  and  all  our  baggage  and 
set  off,  seemingly  to  cross  the  bay.  He  appeared 
to  leave  me  in  an  abrupt  manner,  and  told  me  to 
follow  the  two  attendants.  This  gave  me  some 
uneasiness.  I  now  followed  Perpheela's  two  attend 
ants,  keeping  the  bay  in  view;  but  we  had  not  gone 
above  six  miles  before  we  saw  a  canoe  approaching 
us  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay,  in  which  were 
two  Indians.  As  soon  as  my  guides  saw  the  canoe, 
we  ran  to  the  shore  from  the  hills  and  hailed  them, 
and,  finding  they  did  not  hear  us,  we  got  some 
bushes  and  waved  them  in  the  air,  which  they  saw 
and  stood  directly  for  us.  This  canoe  was  sent  by 
Perpheela  to  bring  me  across  the  bay  and  shorten 
the  distance  of  the  journey. 

"It  was  beginning  to  be  dark  when  the  canoe 
came  to  us.  It  was  a  skin  canoe,  after  the  Esqui 
maux  plan,  with  two  holes  to  accommodate  two 
sitters.  The  Indians  that  came  in  the  canoe  talked 
a  little  with  my  two  guides,  and  then  came  to  me 
and  desired  that  I  would  get  into  the  canoe.  This  I 
did  not  very  readily  agree  to,  however,  as  there  was 
no  other  place  for  me  but  to  be  thrust  into  the  space 
between  the  holes,  extended  at  length  upon  my 
back,  and  wholly  excluded  from  seeing  the  way  I 
went,  or  the  power  of  extricating  myself  upon  any 


276  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

emergency.  But,  as  there  was  no  alternative,  I  sub 
mitted  thus  to  be  stowed  away  in  bulk,  and  went, 
head  foremost,  very  swift  through  the  water  about 
an  hour,  when  I  felt  the  canoe  strike  a  beach,  and 
afterward  lifted  up  and  carried  some  distance  and 
then  set  down  again ;  after  which  I  was  drawn  out 
by  the  shoulders  by  three  or  four  men,  for  it  was 
now  so  dark  that  I  could  not  tell  who  they  were, 
though  I  was  conscious  I  heard  a  language  that  was 
new.  I  was  conducted  by  two  of  these  persons, 
who  appeared  to  be  strangers,  about  forty  rods, 
when  I  saw  lights  and  a  number  of  huts  like  those 
I  left  in  the  morning.  As  we  approached  one  of 
them,  a  door  opened  and  discovered  a  lamp,  by 
which,  to  my  joy  and  surprise,  I  discovered  that  the 
two  men  who  held  me  by  each  arm  were  Europeans, 
fair  and  comely,  and  concluded  from  their  appear 
ance  they  were  Russians,  which  I  soon  after  found 
to  be  true.  As  we  entered  the  hut,  which  was  par 
ticularly  long,  I  saw  arranged  on  each  side,  on  a 
platform  of  plank,  a  number  of  Indians,  who  all 
bowed  to  me ;  and  as  I  advanced  to  the  farther  end 
of  the  hut  there  were  other  Russians.  When  I 
reached  the  end  of  the  room  I  was  seated  on  a 
bench  covered  with  fur-skins;  and,  as  I  was  much 
fatigued,  wet,  and  cold,  I  had  a  change  of  garment 
brought  me,  consisting  of  a  blue  silk  shirt 


JOHN   LEDYARD.         *  277 

drawers,  a  fur  cap,  boots,  and  gown,  all  of  which  I 
put  on  with  the  same  cheerfulness  they  were  pre 
sented  with.  Hospitality  is  a  virtue  peculiar  to  man, 
and  the  obligation  is  as  great  to  receive  as  to  confer. 
As  soon  as  I  was  rendered  warm  and  comfortable, 
a  table  was  set  before  me  with  a  lamp  upon  it :  all 
the  Eussians  in  the  house  sat  down  round  me,  and 
the  bottles  of  spirits,  tobacco,  snuff,  and  whatever 
Perpheela  had,  were  brought  and  set  upon  it :  these 
I  presented  to  the  company,  intimating  that  they 
were  presents  from  Commodore  Cook,  who  was  an 
Englishman.  One  of  the  company  then  gave  me 
to  understand  that  all  the  white  people  I  saw  there 
were  subjects  of  the  Empress  Catherine  of  Russia, 
and  rose  and  kissed  my  hand,  the  rest  uncovering 
their  heads.  I  then  informed  them  as  well  as  I 
could  that  Commodore  Cook  wanted  to  see  some  of 
them,  and  had  sent  me  there  to  conduct  them  to 
our  ships. 

"These  preliminaries  over,  we  had  supper,  which 
consisted  of  boiled  whale,  halibut  fried  in  oil,  and 
broiled  salmon.  The  latter  I  ate,  and  they  gave  me 
rye-bread,  but  would  eat  none  of  it  themselves. 
They  were  very  fond  of  the  rum,  which  they  drank 
without  any  mixture  or  measure.  I  had  a  very 
comfortable  bed,  composed  of  different  fur-skins, 
both  under  and  over  me,  and,  being  harassed  the 

24 


278  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

preceding  day,  I  went  soon  to  rest.  After  I  had 
lain  down,  the  Russians  assembled  the  Indians  in  a 
very  silent  manner,  and  said  prayers  after  the  man 
ner  of  the  Greek  Church,  which  is  much  like  the 
Roman.  I  could  not  but  observe  with  what  particu 
lar  satisfaction  the  Indians  performed  their  devoirs 
to  God  through  the  medium  of  their  little  cruci 
fixes,  and  with  what  pleasure  they  went  through  the 
multitude  of  ceremonies  attendant  on  that  sort  of 
worship.  I  think  it  a  religion  the  best  calculated  in 
the  world*  to  gain  proselytes,  when  the  people  are 
either  unwilling  or  unable  to  speculate,  or  when 
they  cannot  be  made  acquainted  with  the  history 
and  principles  of  Christianity  without  a  formal 
education. 

"I  had  a  very  comfortable  night's  rest,  and  did 
not  wake  the  next  morning  until  late.  As  soon  as 
I  was  up,  I  was  conducted  to  a  hut  a  little  distance 
from  the  one  I  had  slept  in,  where  I  saw  a  number 
of  platforms  raised  about  three  feet  from  the  ground, , 
and  covered  with  dry,  coarse  grass  and  some  small, 
green  bushes.  There  were  several  of  the  Russians 
already  here,  besides  those  that  conducted  me, 
and  several  Indians,  who  were  heating  water  in  a> 
large  copper  caldron  over  a  furnace,  the  heat  of 
which  and  the  steam  which  evaporated  from  the 
hot  water  rendered  the  hut,  which  was  very  tigl 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  279 

extremely  hot  and  suffocating.  I  soon  understood 
this  was  a  hot  bath,  of  which  I  was  asked  to  make 
use  in  a  friendly  manner.  The  apparatus  being  a 
little  curious,  I  consented  to  it;  but,  before  I  had 
finished  undressing  myself,  I  was  overcome  by  the 
eudden  change  of  the  air,  fainted  away,  and  fell 
back  on  the  platform  I  was  sitting  on.  I  was,  how 
ever,  soon  relieved  by  having  cold  and  lukewarm 
water  administered  to  my  face  and  different  parts 
of  my  body.  I  finished  undressing  and  proceeded 
as  I  saw  the  rest  do,  who  were  now  all  undressed. 
The  Indians  who  served  us  brought  us,  as  we  sat  or 
extended  ourselves  on  the  platforms,  water  of  differ 
ent  temperatures, — from  that  which  was  as  hot  as  we 
could  bear  to  quite  cold.  The  hot  water  was  ac 
companied  with  some  hard  soap  and  a  flesh-brush : 
it  was  not,  however,  thrown  on  the  body  from  the 
dish,  but  sprinkled  on  with  the  green  bushes.  After 
this  the  water  made  use  of  was  less  warm,  and 
by  several  gradations  became  at  last  quite  cold, 
which  concluded  the  ceremony.  We  again  dressed 
and  returned  to  our  lodgings,  where  our  breakfast 
was  smoking  on  the  table :  but  the  flavor  of  our 
feast,  as  well  as  its  appearance,  had  nearly  produced 
a  relapse  in  my  spirits,  and  no  doubt  would  if  I 
had  not  had  recourse  to  some  of  the  brandy  I  had 
brought,  which  happily  saved  me.  I  was  a  good 


280  JOHN   LEDYAKD. 

deal  uneasy  lest  the  cause  of  my  discomposure 
should  disoblige  my  friends,  who  meant  to  treat  me 
in  the  best  manner  they  could.  I  therefore  attri 
buted  my  illness  to  the  bath,  which  might  possibly 
have  partly  occasioned  it,  for  I  am  not  very  subject 
to  fainting.  I  could  eat  none  of  the  breakfast, 
however,  though  far  from  wanting  an  appetite.  It 
was  mostly  of  whale,  sea-horse,  and  bear,  which, 
though  smoked,  dried,  and  boiled,  produced  a  com 
position  of  smells  very  offensive  at  nine  or  ten  in 
the  morning.  I  therefore  desired  to  have  a  T>iece 
of  smoked  salmon  broiled  dry,  which  I  ate  with 
some  of  my  own  biscuit. 

"After  breakfast  I  intended  to  set  off  on  my 
return  to  the  ships,  though  there  came  on  a  dis 
agreeable  snow-storm.  But  my  new-found  friends 
objected  to  it,  and  gave  me  to  understand  that  I 
should  go  the  next  day,  and,  if  I  chose,  three  of 
them  would  accompany  me.  This  I  immediately 
agreed  to,  as  it  anticipated  a  favor  I  intended  to  ask 
them,  though  I  before  much  doubted  whether  they 
would  comply  with  it.  I  amused  myself  within 
doors  while  it  snowed  without  by  writing  down  a 
few  words  of  the  original  languages  of  the  American 
Indians,  and  of  the  Asiatics  who  came  over  to  this 
coast  with  these  Russians  from  Kamtschatka. 

"  In  the  afternoon  the  weather  cleared  up,  and  I 


JOHN   LEDTARD.  281 

went  out  to  see  how  those  Russian  adventurers  were 
situated.  I  found  the  whole  village  to  contain  about 
thirty  huts,  all  of  which  were  built  partly  under 
ground,  and  covered  with  turf  at  the  bottom  and 
coarse  grass  at  the  top.  The  only  circumstance 
that  can  recommend  them  is  their  warmth,  which  is 
occasioned  partly  by  their  manner  of  construction, 
and  partly  by  a  kind  of  oven  in  which  they  con 
stantly  keep  a  fire  night  and  day.  They  sleep  on 
platforms  built  on  each  side  of  the  hut,  on  which 
they  have  a  number  of  bear  and  other  skins  which 
render  them  comfortable ;  and,  as  they  have  been 
educated  in  a  hardy  manner,  they  need  little  or  no 
other  support  than  what  they  procure  from  the  sea 
and  from  hunting.  The  number  of  Russians  was 
about  thirty,  and  they  had  with  them  about  seventy 
Kamtschadales,  or  Indians  from  Kamtschatka. 
These,  with  some  of  the  American  Indians,  whom 
they  had  entered  into  friendship  with,  occupied  the 
village,  enjoyed  every  benefit  in  common  with  the 
Russians,  and  were  converts  to  their  religion.  Such 
other  of  the  aborigines  of  the  island  as  had  not 
become  converts  to  their  sentiments  in  religious 
and  civil  matters  were  excluded  from  such  privi 
leges,  and  were  prohibited  from  wearing  certain 
arms. 

"I  also  found  a  small  sloop,  of  about  thirty  tons' 


282  JOHN  LEDYARD. 

burden,  lying  in  a  cove  behind  the  village,  and  a 
hut  near  her  containing  her  sails,  cordage,  and  other 
sea-equipage,  and  one  old  iron  three-pounder.  It 
is  natural  to  an  ingenious  mind,  when  it  enters  a 
town,  a  house,  or  ship,  that  has  been  rendered 
famous  by  any  particular  event,  to  feel  the  full  force 
of  that  pleasure  which  results  from  gratifying  a 
noble  curiosity.  I  was  no  sooner  informed  that 
this  sloop  was  the  same  in  which  the  famous  Behring 
had  performed  those  discoveries  which  did  him  so 
much  honor  and  his  country  so  much  service,  than 
I  was  determined  to  go  on  board  of  her  and  indulge 
the  generous  feelings  the  occasion  inspired.  I  in 
timated  my  wishes  to  the  man  that  acccompanied 
me,  who  went  back  to  the  village  and  brought  a 
canoe,  in  which  we  went  on  board,  where  I  remained 
about  an  hour  and  then  returned.  This  little  bark 
belonged  to  Kamtschatka,  and  came  from  thence  with 
the  Asiatics  already  mentioned  to  this  island,  which 
they  called  Onalaska,  in  order  to  establish  a  pelt 
and  fur  factory.  They  had  been  here  about  five 
years,  and  go  over  to  Kamtschatka  in  her  once  a 
year  to  deliver  their  merchandise  and  get  a  recruit 
of  such  supplies  as  they  need  from  the  chief  factory 
there,  of  which  I  shall  take  further  notice  hereafter. 
"The  next  day  I  set  off  from  this  village,  well 
satisfied  with  the  happv  issue  of  a  tour  which  was 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  .      283 

now  as  agreeable  as  it  was  at  first  undesirable.  I 
was  accompanied  by  three  of  the  principal  Russians 
and  some  attendants.  We  embarked  at  the  village 
in  a  large  skin  boat,  much  like  our  large  whale- 
boats,  rowing  with  twelve  oars ;  and,  as  we  struck 
directly  across  the  bay,  we  shortened  our  distance 
several  miles,  and  the  next  day,  passing  the  same 
village  I  had  before  been  at,  we  arrived  by  sunset 
at  the  bay  where  the  ships  lay,  and  before  dark  I 
got  on  board  with  my  new  acquaintances.  The 
satisfaction  this  discovery  gave  Cook,  and  the  honor 
that  redounded  to  me,  may  be  easily  imagined,  and 
the  several  conjectures  respecting  the  appearance 
of  a  foreign  intercourse  were  rectified  and  con 
firmed." 

Having  left  the  continent,  Cook  steered  again 
for  the  Sandwich  Islands.  After  a  voyage  of  two 
months  he  reached  the  Bay  of  Hawaii.  He  and  his 
associates  were  at  first  received  by  the  chiefs  and 
the  inhabitants  of  the  island  with  the  most  friendly 
welcome.  The  populous  villages  which  clustered 
along  the  shores  of  the  capacious  bay  poured  out 
their  joyous  inhabitants  to  receive  him.  They 
bought  and  sold,  and  made  reciprocal  presents ;  but, 
before  two  weeks  had  expired,  symptoms  of  un 
friendliness  and  suspicion  on  the  part  of  the  natives 
began  to  appear  Ledyard  thus  pictures  some  of  the 


284  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

tropical  scenes  which  he  witnessed  in  the  interior 
of  this  fertile  and  beautiful  gem  of  the  ocean,  in 
consequence  of  his  having  made  a  request  to  be 
permitted  to  explore  it : — 

"The  request  was  granted.  The  botanist  and  the 
gunner  of  the  Resolution  were  deputed  by  the  com 
mander  to  accompany  him.  Natives  were  also  en 
gaged  to  carry  the  baggage  and  serve  as  guides 
through  the  woods.  A  tropical  sun  was  then  pour 
ing  its  rays  on  them  at  the  Bay  of  Kearakekua;  but 
the  snows  visible  on  the  peak  of  Mouna  Roa  warned 
them  to  provide  additional  clothing,  and  guard 
against  the  effects  of  a  sudden  transition  from  heat 
to  cold.  The  party  at  length  set  off.  On  first  leav 
ing  the  town,  their  route  lay  through  enclosed  plan 
tations  of  sweet  potatoes,  with  a  soil  of  lava,  tilled 
in  some  places  with  difficulty.  Now  and  then  a 
patch  of  sugarcane  was  seen  in  a  moist  place.  Next 
came  the  open  plantations,  consisting  chiefly  of 
bread-fruit  trees,  and  the  land  began  to  ascend  more 
abruptly. 

"We  continued  up  the  ascent,"  he  writes,  "to 
the  distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  farther,  and  found 
the  land  thick  covered  with  wild  fern,  among  which 
our  botanist  found  a  new  species.  It  was  now  near 
sunset,  and,  being  upon  the  skirts  of  these  woods 
that  so  remarkably  surrounded  this  island  at  a  uni- 


JOHN  LEDYARD.  285 

form  distance  of  four  or  five  miles  from  the  shore, 
we  concluded  to  halt,  especially  as  there  was  a  hut 
hard  hy  that  would  afford  us  a  better  retreat  during 
the  night  than  what  we  might  expect  if  we  pro 
ceeded.  When  we  reached  the  hut,  we  found  it 
inhabited  by  an  elderly  man,  his  wife  and  daughter, 
an  emblem  of  innocent,  uninstructed  beauty.  They 
were  somewhat  discomposed  at  our  appearance  and 
equipment,  and  would  have  left  their  house  through 
fear,  had  not  the  Indians  who  accompanied  us 
persuaded  them  otherwise,  and  at  last  reconciled 
them  to  us.  We  sat  down  together  before  the  door, 
and  from  the  height  of  the  situation  we  had  a  com 
plete  retrospective  view  of  our  route,  of  the  town, 
of  part  of  the  bay,  and  one  of  our  ships,  besides  an 
extensive  prospect  on  the  ocean  and  a  distant  view 
of  three  of  the  neighboring  islands. 

"As  we  had  proposed  remaining  at  this  hut 
through  the  night,  and  were  willing  to  preserve 
what  provisions  we  had  ready  dressed,  we  purchased 
a  little  pig  and  had  him  dressed  by  our  host,  who, 
finding  his  account  in  his  visitants,  bestirred  him 
self  and  soon  had  it  ready.  After  supper  we  had 
some  of  our  brandy  diluted  with  the  mountain- 
water;  and  we  had,  so  long  been  confined  to  the 
poor  brackish  water  at  the  bay  below  that  it  was  a 
kind  of  nectar  to  us.  As  soon  as  the  sun  was  set, 


286  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

we  found  a  considerable  difference  in  the  state  of 
the  air.  At  night  a  heavy  dew  fell ;  and  we  felt  it 
very  chilly,  and  had  recourse  to  our  blankets,  not 
withstanding  we  were  in  the  hut.  The  next  morn 
ing,  when  we  came  to  enter  the  woods,  we  found 
there  had  been  a  heavy  rain,  though  none  of  it  had 
approached  us,  notwithstanding  we  were  within  two 
hundred  yards  of  the  skirts  of  the  forest.  And  it 
seemed  to  be  a  matter  of  fact,  both  from  the  in 
formation  of  the  natives  and  our  own  observations, 
that  neither  the  rains  nor  the  dews  descended  lower 
than  where  the  woods  terminated,  unless  at  the 
equinoxes  or  some  periodical  conjuncture,  by  which 
means  the  space  between  the  woods  and  the  shore 
is  rendered  warm  and  fit  for  the  purpose  of  culture 
and  the  vegetation  of  tropical  productions.  We 
traversed  these  woods  by  a  compass,  keeping  a 
direct  course  for  the  peak,  and  were  so  happy  the 
first  day  as  to  find  a  footpath  that  tended  nearly  our 
due  course,  by  which  means  we  travelled  by  estima 
tion  about  fifteen  miles ;  and,  though  it  would  have 
been  no  extraordinary  march  had  circumstances 
been  different,  yet,  as  we  found  them,  we  thought 
it  a  very  great  one ;  for  it  was  not  only  excessively 
miry  and  rough,  but  the  way  was  mostly  an  ascent, 
and  we  had  been  unused  to  walking,  and  especially 
to  carrying  such  loads  as  we  had.  Our  Indian  com- 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  287 

panions  were  much  more  fatigued  than  we  were, 
though  they  had  nothing  to  carry,  and,  what  dis 
pleased  us  very  much,  would  not  carry  any  thing. 
Our  "botanical  researches  delayed  us  somewhat.  The 
sun  had  not  set  when  we  halted ;  yet,  meeting  with 
a  situation  that  pleased  us,  and  not  being  limited  as 
to  time,  we  spent  the  remaining  part  of  the  day  as 
humor  dictated, — some  in  botanizing,  and  those  who 
had  fowling-pieces  with  them,  in  shooting.  For  my 
part,  I  could  not  but  think  the  present  appearance 
of  our  encampment  claimed  a  part  of  our  attention, 
and  therefore  set  about  some  alterations  and  amend 
ments.  It  was  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  that  had  fallen 
by  the  side  of  the  path,  and  lay  with  one  end  trans 
versely  over  another  tree,  that  had  fallen  before  in 
an  opposite  direction;  and  as  it  measured  twenty- 
two  feet  in  circumference,  and  lay  four  feet  from  the 
ground,  it  afforded  a  very  good  shelter  except  at 
the  sides,  which  defect  I  supplied  by  large  pieces  of 
bark  and  a  good  quantity  of  boughs,  which  rendered 
it  very  commodious.  "We  slept  through  the  night 
under  it  much  better  than  we  had  done  the  pre 
ceding,  notwithstanding  there  was  a  heavy  dew  and 
the  air  cold. 

"The  next  morning  we  set  out  in  good  spirits, 
hoping  that  day  to  reach  the  snowy  peak ;  but  we 
had  not  gone  a  mile  before  the  path  that  had  hitherto 


288  JOHN  LEDYARD. 

so  much  facilitated  our  progress  began  not  only 
to  take  a  direction  southward  of  west,  but  had  been 
so  little  frequented  as  to  be  almost  effaced.  In  this 
situation  we  consulted  our  Indian  convoy,  but  to  no 
purpose.  We  then  advised  among  ourselves,  and 
at  length  concluded  to  proceed  by  the  nearest  route 
without  any  beaten  track,  and  went  in  this  manner 
about  four  miles  farther,  finding  the  way  even  more 
steep  and  rough  than  we  had  yet  experienced,  but 
above  all  impeded  by  such  impenetrable  thickets  as 
to  render  it  impossible  for  us  to  proceed  any  farther. 
"We  therefore  abandoned  our  design,  and,  returning 
in  our  track,  reached  the  retreat  we  had  improved 
the  last  night,  having  been  the  whole  day  in  walk 
ing  only  about  ten  miles, — and  we  had  been  very 
assiduous  too.  We  found  the  country  here,  as  well 
as  on  the  sea-shore,  universally  overspread  with  lava, 
and  also  saw  several  subterranean  excavations  that 
had  every  appearance  of  past  eruption  and  fire. 
Our  botanist  to-day  met  with  great  success,  and  we 
had  also  shot  a  number  of  fine  birds  of  the  liveliest 
and  most  variegated  plumage  that  any  of  us  had 
ever  met  with;  but  we  heard  no  melody  among 
them.  Except  these,  we  saw  no  other  kind  of  birds 
but  the  screech-owl,  neither  did  we  see  any  kind  of 
quadruped ;  but  we  caught  several  curious  insects. 
The  woods  here  are  thick  and  luxuriant,  the  largest 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  289 

trees  being  nearly  thirty  feet  in  the  girth,  and  these, 
with  the  shrubbery  underneath,  and  the  whole  inter 
sected  with  vines,  render  it  very  umbrageous. 

"  The  next  day,  about  two  in  the  afternoon,  we 
cleared  the  woods  by  our  old  route,  and  by  six 
o'clock  reached  the  tents,  having  penetrated  about 
twenty-four  miles,  and,  we  supposed,  within  eleven 
of  the  peak.  Our  Indians  were  extremely  fatigued, 
though  they  had  no  baggage." 

After  sojourning  twenty  days  at  Hawaii,  Captain 
Cook  weighed  anchor  and  sailed  away.  A  furious 
storm  compelled  him  to  return,  and  during  the 
succeeding  days  those  unfortunate  disputes  arose 
between  the  commander  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
island,  which  eventually  led  to  the  assassination  of 
Captain  Cook,  and  the  premature  termination  of  the 
life  and  adventures  of  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
navigators  of  modern  times.  The  incidents  connected 
with  this  event  have  often  been  narrated;  but,  as 
Ledyard  was  an  eye-witness  of  the  memorable  scene, 
and  as  his  account  is  doubtless  the  most  accurate  and 
trustworthy  which  has  ever  been  given,  we  here  ex 
tract  it,  notwithstanding  its  length,  from  his  journal: 

"Our  return  to  this  bay  was  as  disagreeable  to  us 
as  it  was  to  the  inhabitants,  for  we  were  recipro 
cally  tired  of  each  other.  They  had  been  oppressed 

and  were  weary  of  our  prostituted  alliance,  and  we 
r  25 


290  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

were  aggrieved  by  the  consideration  of  wanting  the 
provisions  and  refreshments  of  the  country,  which 
we  had  every  reason  to  suppose  from  their  behavior 
antecedent  to  our  departure,  would  now  be  with 
held  from  us,  or  brought  in  such  small  quantities  as 
to  be  worse  than  none.  What  we  anticipated  was 
true.  "When  we  entered  the  bay,  where  before  we 
had  the  shouts  of  thousands  to  welcome  our  arrival, 
we  had  the  mortification  not  to  see  a  single  canoe, 
and  hardly  any  inhabitants  in  the  towns.  Cook 
was  chagrined  and  his  people  were  soured.  Toward 
night,  however,  the  canoes  came  in;  but  the  pro 
visions  both  in  quantity  and  quality  plainly  informed 
us  that  times  were  altered ;  and  what  was  very  re 
markable  was  the  exorbitant  price  they  asked  and 
the  particular  fancy  they  all  at  once  took  to  iron 
daggers  or  dirks,  which  were  the  only  articles  that 
were  anyways  current  with  the  chiefs  at  least.  It 
was  also  equally  evident  from  the  looks  of  the  na 
tives,  as  well  as  every  other  appearance,  that  our 
former  friendship  was  at  an  end,  and  that  we  had 
nothing  to  do  but  to  hasten  our  departure  to  some 
different  island,  where  our  vices  were  not  known, 
and  where  our  intrinsic  virtues  might  gain  us 
another  short  space  of  being  wondered  at  and 
doing  as  we  pleased,  or,  as  our  tars  expressed  it,  of 
being  happy  by  the  ^nonth. 


JOHN  LEDYARD.  291 

was  their  passive  appearance  of  disgust  all 
we  had  to  fear,  nor  did  it  continue  long.  Before  dark 
a  canoe  with  a  number  of  armed  chiefs  came  along 
side  of  us  without  provisions,  and,  indeed,  without  any 
perceptible  design.  After  staying  a  short  time  only, 
they  went  to  the  Discovery,  where  a  part  of  them 
went  on  board.  Here  they  affected  great  friendship ; 
and,  fortunately,  overacting  it,  Clerke  was  suspicious, 
and  ordered  two  sentinels  on  the  gangways.  These 
men  were  purposely  sent  by  the  chief  who  had 
formerly  been  so  very  intimate  with  Clerke  and 
afterward  so  ill  treated  by  him  with  the  charge  of 
stealing  his  jolly-boat.  They  came  with  a  determina 
tion  of  mischief,  and  effected  it.  After  they  were 
all  returned  to  th.e  canoe  but  one,  they  got  their 
paddles  and  every  thing  ready  for  a  start.  Those 
in  the  canoes,  observing  the  sentry  to  be  watchful, 
took  off  his  attention  by  some  conversation  that 
they  knew  would  be  pleasing  to  him,  and  by  this 
means  favored  the  designs  of  the  man  on  board, 
who,  watching  his  opportunity,  snatched  two  pairs 
of  tongs,  and  other  iron  tools  that  then  lay  close  by 
the  armorers  at  work  at  the  forge,  and,  mounting 
the  gangway-rail,  with  one  leap  threw  himself  and 
his  goods  into  the  canoe,  that  was  then  upon  the 
move,  and,  taking  up  his  paddle,  joined  the  others ; 
and,  standing  directly  for  the  shore,  they  were  out 


292  JOHN  LEDYARD. 

of  our  reach  almost  instantaneously,  even  before  a 
musket  could  be  had  from  the  arms-chest  to  fire  at 
them.  The  sentries  had  only  hangers.  This  was 
the  boldest  exploit  that  had  yet  been  attempted,  and 
had  a  bad  aspect.  Clerke  immediately  sent  to  the 
commodore,  who  advised  him  to  send  a  boat  on 
shore  to  endeavor  at  least  to  regain  the  goods,  if 
they  could  not  the  men  who  took  them;  but  the 
errand  was  as  ill  executed  as  contrived,  and  the 
master  of  the  Discovery  was  glad  to  return  with  a 
severe  drubbing  from  the  very  chief  who  had  been 
so  maltreated  by  Clerke.  The  crew  were  also  pelted 
with  stones  and  had  all  their  oars  broken,  and  tfrey 
had  not  a  single  weapon  in  the  boat,  not  even  a  cut 
lass,  to  defend  themselves.  When  Cook  heard  of 
this,  he  went  armed  himself  in  person  to  the  guard 
on  shore,  took  a  file  of  marines,  and  went  through 
the  whole  town,  demanding  restitution,  and  threaten 
ing  the  delinquents  and  their  abettors  with  the 
severest  punishment;  but,  not  being  able  to  effect 
any  thing,  he  came  off  just  at  sunset,  highly  dis 
pleased,  and  not  a  little  concerned  at  the  bad  ap 
pearance  of  things.  But  even  this  was  nothing  to 
what  followed. 

"On  the  13th,  at  night,  the  Discovery's  large 
cutter,  which  was  at  her  usual  moorings  at  the 
bower  buoy,  was  taken  away.  On  the  14th  the 


• 

JOHN  LEDYABD. 


captains  met  to  consult  what  should  be  done  on 
this  alarming  occasion ;  and  the  issue  of  their  opi 
nions  was,  that  one  of  the  two  captains  should  land 
with  armed  boats  and  a  guard  of  marines  at  Kiverua, 
and  attempt  to  persuade  Teraiobu,  who  was  then  at 
his  house  in  that  town,  to  come  on  board  upon  a 
visit,  and  that  when  he  was  on  board  he  should  be 
kept  prisoner  until  his  subjects  should  release  him 
by  a  restitution  of  the  cutter ;  and,  if  it  yas  after 
ward  thought  proper,  he,  or  some  of  the  family  who 
might  accompany  him,  should  be  kept  as  perpetual 
hostages  for  the  good  behavior  of  the  people  during 
the  remaining  part  of  our  continuance  at  Keara- 
kekua.  This  plan  was  the  more  approved  of  by 
Cook,  as  he  had  so  repeatedly  on  former  occasions 
to  the  southward  employed  it  with  success.  Clerke 
was  then  in  a  deep  decline  of  his  health,  and  too 
feeble  to  undertake  the  affair,  though  it  naturally 
devolved  upon  him,  as  a  point  of  duty  not  well 
transferable :  he  therefore  begged  Cook  to  oblige 
him  so  much  as  to  take  that  part  of  the  business 
of  the  day  upon  himself  in  his  stead.  This  Cook 
agreed  to,  but  previous  to  his  landing  made  some 
additional  arrangements,  respecting  the  possible 
events  of  things,  though  it  is  certain,  from  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  subsequent  arrangements,  that  he 
guarded  more  against  the  flight  of  Teraiobu,  or 


25* 


294  JOHN  LEDYARD. 

those  he  could  wish  to  see,  than  from  an  attack,  or 
even  much  insult.  The  disposition  of  our  guards, 
when  the  movements  began,  was  thus:  Cook  in 
his  pinnace  with  six  private  marines;  a  corporal, 
sergeant,  and  two  lieutenants  of  marines  went 
ahead,  followed  by  the  launch  with  other  marines 
and  seamen  on  one  quarter,  and  the  small  cutter  on 
the  other,  with  only  the  crew  on  board.  This  part 
of  the  guard  rowed  for  Kearakekua.  Our  large 
cutter  and  two  boats  from  the  Discovery  had  orders 
to  proceed  to  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  form  at  equal 
distances  across,  and  prevent  any  communication 
by  water  from  any  other  part  of  the  island  to  the 
towns  within  the  bay,  or  from  those  without.  Cdok 
landed  at  Kiverua  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing,  with  the  marines  in  the  pinnace,  and  went  by  a 
circuitous  march  to  the  house  of  Teraiobu,  in  order 
to  evade  the  suspicion  of  any  design.  This  route 
led  through  a  considerable  part  of  the  town,  which 
discovered  every  symptom  of  mischief, — though 
Cook,  blinded  by  some  fatal  cause,  could  not  per 
ceive  it,  or,  too  self-confident,  would  not  regard  it. 

"The  town  was  evacuated  by  the  women  and 
children,  who  had  retired  to  the  circumjacent 
hills,  and  appeared  almost  destitute  of  men;  but 
there  were  at  that  time  two  hundred  chiefs,  and 
more  than  twice  that  number  of  other  men,  de- 


JOHN  LEDYARD.  295 

tached  and  secreted  in  different  parts  of  the  houses 
nearest  to  Teraiobu,  exclusive  of  unknown^ numbers 
without  the  skirts  of  the  town;  and  those  that  were 
seen  were  dressed,  many  of  them,  in  black.  When 
the  guard  reached  Teraiobu's  house,  Cook  ordered 
the  lieutenant  of  marines  to  go  in  and  see  if  he  was 
at  home,  and,  if  he  was,  to  bring  him  out.  The  lieu 
tenant  went  in,  and  found  the  old  man  sitting  with 
two  or  three  old  women  of  distinction ;  and  when 
he  gave  Teraiobu  to  understand  that  Cook  was 
without  and  wanted  to  see  him,  he  discovered  the 
greatest  marks  of  uneasiness,  but  arose  and  accom- 
panieu  the  lieutenant  out,  holding  his  hand.  When 
he  came  before  •  Cook  he  squatted  down  upon  his 
hams  as  a  mark  of  humiliation,  and  Cook  took  him 
by  the  hand  from  the  lieutenant,  and  conversed 
with  him. 

"The  appearance  of  our  parade  both  by  water 
and  on  shore,  though  conducted  with  the  utmost 
silence,  and  with  as  little  ostentation  as  possible, 
had  alarmed  the  towns  on  both  sides  of  the  bay, 
but  particularly  Kiverua,  where  the  people  were  in 
complete  order  for  an  onset:  otherwise  it  would 
have  been  a  matter  of  surprise,  that  though  Cook 
did  not  see  twenty  men  in  passing  through  the 
town,  yet,  before  he  had  conversed  ten  minutes 
with  Teraiobu,  he  was  surrounded  by  three  or  four 


296  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

hundred  people,  and  above  half  of  them  chiefs. 
Cook  grew  uneasy  when  he  observed  this,  and  was 
the  more  urgent  in  his  persuasions  with  Teraiobu 
to  go  on  board,  and  actually  persuaded  the  old  man 
to  go  at  length,  and  led  him  within  a  rod  or  two  of 
the  shore ;  but  the  just  fears  and  conjectures  of  the 
chiefs  at  last  interposed.  They  held  the  old  man 
back,  and  one  of  the  chiefs  threatened  Cook  when 
he  attempted  to  make  them  quit  Teraiobu.  Some 
of  the  crowd  now  cried  out  that  Cook  was  going  to 
take  their  king  from  them  to  kill  him;  and  there 
was  one  in  particular  that  advanced  toward  Cook  in 
an  attitude  that  alarmed  one  of  the  guard,  who  pre 
sented  his  bayonet  and  opposed  ^im,  acquainting 
Cook  in  the  mean  time  of  the  danger  of  his  situa 
tion,  and  that  the  Indians  in  a  few  minutes  would 
attack  him, — that  he  had  overheard  the  man  whom 
he  had  just  stopped  from  rushing  in  upon  him  say 
that  our  boats  which  were  out  in  the  harbor  had 
just  killed  his  brother,  and  he  would  be  revenged. 
Cook  attended  to  what  this  man  said,  and  desired 
him  to  show  him  the  Indian  that  had  dared  to 
attempt  a  combat  with  him ;  and,  as  soon  as  he  was 
«  pointed  out,  Cook  fired  at  him  with  a  blank.  The 
'  Indian,  perceiving  he  received  no  damage  from  the 
fire,  rushed  from  without  the  crowd  a  second  time, 
and  threatened  any  one  that  should  oppose  him. 


JOHN  LEDYARD.  297 

Cook,  perceiving  this,  fired  a  ball,  which  entering 
the  Indian's  groin,  he  fell  and  was  drawn  off  by  the 
rest. 

"  Cook  perceiving  the  people  determined  to  op 
pose  his  designs,  and  that  he  should  not  succeed 
without  further  bloodshed,  ordered  the  lieutenant 
of  marines,  Mr.  Phillips,  to  withdraw  his  men  and 
get  them  into  the  boats,  which  were  then  lying 
ready  to  receive  them.  This  was  effected  by  the 
sergeant;  but  the  instant  they  began  to  retreat, 
Cook  was  hit  with  a  stone,  and,  perceiving  the  man 
who  threw  it,  shot  him  dead.  The  officer  in  the 
boats,  observing  the  guards  retreat  and  hearing  this 
third  discharge,,  ordered  the  boats  to  fire.  This 
occasioned  the  guard  .to  face  about  and  fire,  and  then 
the  attack  became  general.  Cook  and  Mr.  Phillips 
were  together  a  few  paces  in  the  rear  of  the  guard, 
and,  perceiving  a  general  fire  without  orders,  quitted 
Teraiobu  and  ran  to  the  shore  to  put  a  stop  to  it ; 
but,  not  being  able  to  make  themselves  heard,  and 
being  close  pressed  upon  by  the  chiefs,  they  joined 
the  guard,  who  fired  as  they  retreated.  Cook, 
having  at  length  reached  the  margin  of  the  water, 
4 between  the  fire  of  the  boats,  waved  with  his  hat 
for  them  to  cease  firing  and  come  in ;  and,  while  he 
was  doing  this,  a  chief  from  behind  stabbed  him 
with  one  of  our  iron  daggers,  just  under  the  shoul- 


298  JOHN  LEDYARD. 

der -blade,  and  it  passed  quite  through  his  body. 
Cook  fell  with  his  face  in  the  water  and  immediately 
expired.  Mr.  Phillips,  not  being  able  any  longer 
to  use  his  fusee,  drew  his  sword,  and,  engaging  the 
chief  whom  he  saw  kill  Cook,  soon  despatched  him. 
His  guard  in  the  mean  time  were  all  killed  but  two, 
and  they  had  plunged  into  the  -water  and  were 
Bwimming  to  the  boats.  He  stood  thus  for  some 
time  the  butt  of  all  their  force,  and,  being  as  com 
plete  in  the  use  of  his  sword  as  he  was  accomplished, 
his  noble  achievements  struck  the  barbarians  with 
awe ;  but  being  wounded,  and  growing  faint  from 
loss  of  blood  and  excessive  action,  he  plunged  into 
the  sea  with  his  sword  in  his  hand  and  swam  to  the 
boats;  where,  however,  he  was  scarcely  taken  on 
board,  before  somebody  saw  one  of  the  marines 
that  had  swam  from  the  shore  lying  flat  upon  the 
bottom.  Phillips,  hearing  this,  ran  aft,  threw  him 
self  in  after  him,  and  brought  him  up  with  him  to 
the  surface  of  the  water,  and  both  were  taken  in. 

"  The  boats  had  hitherto  kept  up  a  very  hot  fire, 
and,  lying  off  without  the  reach  of  any  weapon  but 
stones,  had  received  no  damage ;  and,  being  fully  at 
leisure  to  keep  up  an  unremitted  and  uniform 
action,  made  great  havoc  among  the  Indians,  par 
ticularly  among  the  chiefs,  who  stood  foremost  in 
the  crowd  and  were  most  exposed;  but  whether  it 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  299 

was  from  their  bravery,  or  ignorance  of  the  real 
cause  that  deprived  so  many  of  them  of  life,  that 
they  made  such  a  stand,  may  be  questioned,  since 
it  is  certain  that  they  in  general,  if  not  universally, 
understood  heretofore  that  it  was  the  fire  only  of  * 
our  arms  that  destroyed  them.  This  opinion  seems 
to  be  strengthened  by  the  circumstance  of  the  large, 
thick  mats  they  were  observed  to  wear,  which  were 
also  constantly  kept  wet;  and,  furthermore,  the 
Indian  that  Cook  fired  at  with  a  blank  discovered 
no  fear  when  he  found  his  mat  unburnt,  saying  in 
their  language,  when  he  showed  it  to  the  by-stand- 
ers,  that  no  fire  had  touched  it.  This  may  be  sup 
posed  at  least  to  have  had  some  influence.  It  is, 
however,  certain,  whether  from  one  or  both  these 
causes,  that  the  numbers  that  fell  made  ,no  apparent 
impression  on  those  who  survived:  they  were  im 
mediately  taken  off,  and  had  their  places  supplied  in 
a  constant  succession. 

"  Lieutenant  Gore,  who  commanded  as  first  lieu 
tenant  under  Cook  in  the  Resolution,  which  lay 
opposite  the  place  where  this  attack  was  made,  per 
ceiving  with  his  glass  that  the  guard  on  shore  was 
cut  off,  and  that  Cook  had  fallen,  immediately 
passed  a  spring  upon  one  of  the  cables,  and,  bring 
ing  the  ship's  starboard  guns  to  bear,  fired  two 
round-shot  over  the  boats  into  the  middle  of  the 


300  JOHN  LEDYARD. 

crowd;  and  both  the  thunder  of  the  cannon  and 
the  effects  of  the  shot  operated  so  powerfully  that 
it  produced  a  most  precipitate  retreat  from  the  shore 
to  the  town. 

"Our  mast  that  was  repairing  at  Kearakekua, 
and  our  astronomical  tents,  were  protected  only  by 
a  corporal  and  six  marines,  exclusive  of  the  car 
penters  at  work  upon  it,  and  demanded  immediate 
protection.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  people  were 
refreshed  with  some  grog  and  reinforced,  they  were 
ordered  thither.  In  the  mean  time,  the  marine  who 
had  been  taken  up  by  Mr.  Phillips  discovered  re 
turning  life,  and  seemed  in  a  way  to  recover,  and  we 
found  Mr.  Phillips's  wound  not  dangerous,  though 
very  bad.  We  also  observed  at  Kiverua  that  our 
dead  were  drawn  off  by  the  Indians,  which  was  a 
mortifying  sight;  but  after  the  boats  were  gone 
they  did  it  in  spite  of  our  cannon,  which  were 
firing  at  them  several  minutes.  They  had  no  sooner 
effected  this  matter  than  they  retired  to  the  hills 
to  avoid  our  shot.  The  expedition  to  Kiverua  had 
taken  up  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  and  we  lost, 
besides  Cook,  a  corporal  and  three  marines. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  despatch  that  was  used  in 
sending  a  force  to  Kearakekua,  the  small  party  there 
were  already  attacked  before  their  arrival,  but,  by 
an  excellent  manoeuvre  of  taking  possession  of  the 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  301 

Moral,  they  defended  themselves,  without  any  mate 
rial  damage,  until  the  succours  came.  The  natives 
*did  not  attempt  to  molest  the  boats  in  their  de 
barkation  of  our  people,  which  we  much  wondered 
at;  and  they  soon  joined  the  others  upon  the  Morai, 
amounting  in  the  whole  to  about  sixty.  Mr.  Phil 
lips,  notwithstanding  his  wound,  was  present,  and, 
in  conjunction  with  Lieutenant  King,  carried  the 
chief  command.  The  plan  was  to  act  only  de 
fensively,  until  we  could  get  our  mast  into  the 
water,  to  tow  off,  and  our  tents  into  the  boats ;  and, 
as  soon  as  that  was  effected,  to  return  on  board. 
This  we  did  in  about  an  hour's  time,  but  not  with 
out  killing  a  number  of  the  natives,  who  resolutely 
attacked  us,  and  endeavored  to  mount  the  walls  of 
the  Morai  where  they  were  lowest ;  but,  being  op 
posed  with  our  skill  in  such  modes  of  attack,  and 
the  great  superiority  of  our  arms,  they  were  even 
repulsed  with  loss,  and  at  length  retreated  among 
the  houses  adjacent  to  the  Morai,  which  affording  a 
good  opportunity  to  retreat  to  our  boats,  we  em 
braced  it,  and  got  off  all  well.  Our  mast  was  taken 
on  the  booms  and  repaired  there,  though  to  dis 
advantage." 


26 


CHAPTER  m. 

LEDYARD'S    ADVENTURES   IN    FRANCE,  RUSSIA,    AND 
SIBERIA. 

AFTER  Ledyard's  return  from  his  voyage  with 
Captain  Cook,  he  remained  two  years  in  the  British 
navy,  in  some  subordinate  capacity  which  is  now 
unknown.  In  December,  1782,  he  returned  to  the 
United  States  on  board  a  British  man-of-war.  His 
first  desire  was  to  visit  his  mother,  who  still  resided 
at  Southold.  The  meeting  between  them  was  affect 
ing  in  the  extreme ;  for  one  of  the  greatest  merits 
of  the  disposition  and  character  of  Ledyard  was 
his  affectionate  regard  for  his  mother.  From 
Southold  he  proceeded  to  Hartford,  where  he  re 
mained  four  months,  and  wrote  his  published  nar 
rative  of  the  last  voyage  of  Captain  Cook. 

Ledyard  now  resumed  his  plans  and  speculations 
in  reference  to  his  favorite  project  of  a  trading- 
voyage  to  the  Northwest  coast.  His  observation 
had  led  him  to,  believe  that  an  immense  profit  might  -, 
be  made  by  the  sale  of  furs  which  were  to  be  pur 
chased  from  the  natives.  But  to  carry  out  his  plans 

302 


JOHN   LEDYARD  303 

a  ship  and  other  proper  facilities  were  necessary. 
In  order  to  obtain  a  partner  possessing  the  requisite 
means,  he  visited  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  and 
did  his  utmost  to  enlist  the  interest  of  some  opulent 
ship-merchants.  He  labored  and  argued  in  vain. 
Scores  of  shrewd  and  enterprising  merchants  in 
those  cities  refused  and  derided  the  very  same  enter 
prise  which,  in  after-years,  built  the  colossal  for 
tune  of  J.  J.  Astor.  At  length,  in  despair  of  ac 
complishing  any  thing  in  his  own  country,  Ledyard 
sought  and  obtained  a  passage  to  Europe.  On  the 
1st  of  June,  1784,  he  sailed  for  Cadiz.  He  had 
been  led  to  believe  that  he  should  find  patrons  in 
the  city  of  L'Orient.  He  was  still  very  poor,  and 
found  much  difficulty  in  obtaining  the  means  of 
travel  to  that  city.  Having  arrived,  he  immediately 
presented  himself  with  his  letters  of  recommen 
dation  to  the  leading  merchants  of  the  place.  At 
first  his  earnest  representations  and  his  glowing 
arguments  in  favor  of  his  commercial  scheme,  en 
listed  their  sympathy  and  favor.  They  agreed  to 
despatch  a  vessel  to  the  designated  coast;  but 
they  found  the  season  too  late  for  that  year,  and 
were  compelled  to  postpone  the  execution  of  the 
plan  to  the  next.  Ledyard  spent  the  winter  in 
L'Orient  in  restless  impatience,  waiting  for  the 
spring  to  open.  When  that  period  arrived,  the 


304  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

merchants  who  had  promised  to  undertake  the 
enterprise  for  some  reason  refused  to  fulfil  their 
engagements,  and  abandoned  it.  All  the  brilliant 
hopes  of  Ledyard  were  thus  again  disappointed  and 
he  himself  overwhelmed  with  despair.  His  means 
were  exhausted.  After  fifteen  years'  experience  of 
the  world,  he  still  remained  without  having  accom 
plished  a  single  purpose  upon  which  he  had  set  his 
heart,  or  which  was  worthy  of  his  genius. 

He  nevertheless  bore  up  manfully  against  his 
adverse  and  unpropitious  fate.  He  proceeded  to 
Paris,  and  tljere  visited  the  American  minister,  Mr. 
Jefferson.  He  was  received  with  great  kindness  by 
that  liberal-minded  statesman,  who  at  once  appre 
ciated  the  largeness  and  the  sagacity  of  his  views. 
He  introduced  Ledyard  to  the  celebrated  Paul 
Jones.  The  latter  became  interested  in  the  specu-. 
lations  and  theories  of  Ledyard,  and  proposed  to 
realize  them.  Two  vessels  were  to  be  chartered  for 
the'  purpose  and  commissioned  by  the  king,  Louis 
XVI.  After  being  deeply  interested  in  the  enter 
prise  for  a  short  time,  Jones  suddenly  cooled  in  his 
ardor,  demurred  to  the  arrangements  proposed, 
and  eventually  abandoned  the  project  entirely. 
Thus  was  Ledyard  again  adrift  in  the  world,  with 
the  bad  fortune  which  usually  attended  him.  During 
his  residence  in  Paris  he  saw  much  of  the  court, 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  305 

and  even  had  glimpses  of  the  royal  family, — that 
ill-fated  family  whose  terrible  misfortunes  were  soon 
to  begin,  and  were  to  end  so  ignominiously  on  the 
scaffold.  The  distant  and  subdued  mutterings  of 
that  fearful  revolution  which  shook  every  throne  in 
Europe  were  already  faintly  heard.  The  contem 
porary  observations  of  this  astute  traveller  on  the 
existing  state  of  things  in  France,  as  recorded  in 
his  journal,  are  worthy  of  note.  We  make  an  extract 
from  it  as  illustrative  of  his  views  and  opinions : 

"Paris  is  situated  in  an  extended  plain,  rising  on 
all  sides  into  gradual  elevations,  and  some  little  hills 
happily  interspersed  in  the  borders  of  its  horizon. 
Its  extent,  viewed  from  the  tower  of  Notre  Dame, 
appeared  to  me  less  than  London,  though  it  must 
be  larger.  The  public  buildings  are  numerous,  and 
some  of  them  magnificent  Paris  is  the  centre  of 
France,  and  its  centre  is  the  Palais  Eoyal,  the  resort 
of  the  greatest  virtues  and  the  greatest  vices  of 
such  a  kingdom.  It  is  France  in  miniature,  and  no 
friend  to  France  should  ever  see  it.  The  Tuileries 
afford  a  consummate  display  of  artificial  elegance 
and  grandeur;  the  gardens  of  the  Luxembourg  are 
much  inferior.  The  Boulevards  were  originally 
fortifications,  and  they  now  form  a  broad  way  that 
surrounds  the  city,  separating  it  from  the  suburbs. 
It  is  well  lined  with  fine  umbrageous  elms  on  each 


W  26* 


306  JOHN   LEDYAED. 

side,  forming  a  beautiful  course  for  coaches  and 
horsemen ;  hut  the  farmers-general,  to  prevent  illicit 
trade,  are  walling  it  in,  at  the  expense  of  a  thou 
sand  lamentations  of  the  Parisians  and  several 
millions  of  livres.  I  have  been  once  at  the  king's 
library.  Papa  Franklin,  as  the  French  here  cal. 
him,  is  among  a  number  of  statues  that  I  saw. 
The  bust  of  Paul  Jones  is  also  there.  Did  you 
ever  know  that  Captain  Jones  was  two  or  three 
nights  successively  crowned  with  laurels,  at  the 
great  Opera  House  in  Paris,  after  the  action  between 
the  Bon  Homme  Richard  and  the  Serapis  ? 

"I  find  at  our  minister's  table  between  fifteen 
and  twenty  Americans,  inclusive  of  two  or  three 
ladies.  It  is  very  remarkable  that  we  are  neither 
despised  nor  envied  for  our  love  of  liberty,  but  very 
often  caressed.  I  was  yesterday  at  Versailles.  It 
was  the  feast  of  St.  Louis;  but  I  never  feasted  so  ill 
in  all  my  life  as  at  the  hotel  where  I  dined,  and  never 
paid  so  dear  for  a  dinner.  I  was  too  late  to  see  the 
procession  of  the  king  and  queen;  but  I  was  little 
disappointed  on  that  account,  as  I  had  already  seen 
those  baubles.  The  king  I  saw"  a  fortnight  before 
to  very  great  advantage,  being  near  to  him  while  he 
was  shooting  partridges  in  the  fields.  He  was 
dressed  in  common  musquito  trowsers,  a  short  linen 
frock,  and  an  old  laced  hat  without  a  cockade.  He 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  307 

had  an  easy,  gentlemanly  appearance;  and,  had  it 
not  been  for  his  few  attendants,  I  should  have  taken 
him  for  the  captain  of  a  merchant-ship  amusing 
himself  "in  the  field.  The  palace  at  Versailles,  and 
its  gardens,  are  an  ornament  to  the  face  of  the  globe. 
It  was  dirty  weather.  I  wore  boots,  and,  conse 
quently,  was  prohibited  from  visiting  the  galleries. 
I  was  in  company  with  our  Mr.  Barclay,  Colonel 
Franks  of  the  American  army,  a  young  Virginian, 
and  an  English  sea-oflicer.  Franks  was  booted  too ; 
but,  though  honest  Tom  Barclay  was  not,  he  had  no 
bag  on,  and  they  were  dismissed  also :  so  that  boots 
on  and  bags  off  are  sad  recommendations  at  the 
court  of  Versailles. 

"If  the  two  Fitzhughs.  remain  in  town  a  week 
longer,  you  shall  have  a  week's  detail.  They  dine 
with  me  to-day  in  my  chamber,  together  with  our 
worthy  Consul  Barclay,  and  that  lump  of  univer 
sality,  Colonel  Franks.  But  such  a  set  of  money 
less  rascals  have  never  appeared  since  the  epoch  of 
the  happy  villain  Falstaff.  I  have  but  five  French 
crowns  in  the  world ;  Franks  has  not  a  sol ;  and  the 
Fitzhughs  cannot  get  their  tobacco-money. 

"  Mr.  Jefferson  is  an  able  minister,  and  our  coun 
try  may  repose  a  confidence  in  him  equal  to  their 
best  wishes.  Whether  in  public  or  private,  he  is,  in 
every  word  and  every  action,  the  representative  of 


308  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

a  young,  vigorous,  and  determined  state.  His  only 
competitors  here,  even  in  political  fame,  are  Ver- 
gennes  and  La  Fayette.  In  other  accomplishments 
he  stands  alone.  The  Marquis  de  la  Fayette  is  one 
of  the  most  growing  characters  in  this  kingdom. 
He  has  planted  a  tree  in  America  and  sits  under  its 
shade  at  Versailles.  He  is  now  at  the  court  of  old 
Frederick.  I  am  sure  that  you  could  not  yourself 
have  manifested  more  alacrity  to  serve  me  than  he 
has  done.  The  marquis  is  a  warm  friend  to  Ame 
rica.  It  will  be  difficult  for  any  subsequent  pleni 
potentiary  to  have  as  much  personal  influence  in 
France  as  Dr.  Franklin  had ;  it  will  at  least  be  so 
till  the  causes  which  created  that  venerable  patriot's 
ascendency  shall  become  less  recent  in  the  minds 
of  the  people.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  being  but 
once  at  his  house  before  his  departure ;  and,  although 
bent  down  with  age  and  infirmities,  the  excellent 
old  man  exhibited  all  the  good  cheer  of  health,  the 
gay  philosopher,  and  the  kindness  of  a  friendly 
countryman. 

"It  has  been  a  holiday  to-day, — the  nativity  of  the 
Virgin  Mary.  My  friend,  the  Abbd  D'Aubrey,  tells 
me  that  they  have  but  eighty-two  holidays  in  the 
year  which  are  publicly  regarded.  But  this  is  a 
mistake :  they  have  more.  We  both  agree  that  they 
have  eighty-two  less  than  they  formerly  had.  There 


i 


JOHN   LEDYAIID.  309 

are  certainly  a  hundred  days  in  this  city  every  year 
whereon  all  the  shops  are  shut  and  there  is  a  gene 
ral  suspension  of  business, — for  the  good  policy  of 
which,  let  them  look  to  it.  You  will  hear  in  your 
papers  of  an  affair  between  a  certain  cardinal  and 
the  Queen  of  France.  It  has  been  the  topic  of 
conversation  here  for  thirty  days ;  and  forty  fools, 
that  have  expressed  themselves  too  freely  in  the 
matter  for  the  police,  are  already  in  the  Bastille. 
We  have  news  to-day  that  the  king  will  have  him 
tried  by  the  Parliament,  and  has  written  to  that 
dying  meteor,  the  pope,  not  to  meddle  in  the  busi 
ness. 

"I  was  late  home  yesterday  evening  from  the 
feast  of  St.  Cloud,  held  at  a  little  town  of  that 
name  on  the  bank  of  the  Seine.  It  is  particularly 
remarkable  for  having  the  queen's  gardens  in  it, 
and  a  house  for  the  queen,  called  a  palace.  The 
chief  circumstance  which  renders  the  village  a  place 
of  curiosity  to  strangers  is  the  water-works,  which, 
after  the  labor  of  many  years  and  vast  expense, 
exhibit  a  sickly  cascade,  and  three  jets  d'eau,  or 
fountains,  that  cast  water  into  the  air.  The  largest 
of  these  throws  out  a  column  as  big  as  a  man's  arm, 
which  rises  about  thirty  yards.  In  the  evening  I 
entered  a  part  of  the  gardens  where  some  fireworks 
were  played  off.  The  tickets  were  twenty-four  sols. 


310  JOHN    LfiDYARD. 

The  fireworks  were  very  few,  but  good.  This  little 
rustic  entertainment  of  the  queen's  was,  with  great 
propriety,  attended  with  very  little  parade  about  her 
person.  It  was  a  mere  rural  revel ;  and  never  before 
did  I  see  majesty  and  tag-rag  so  philosophically 
blended, — a  few  country  fiddlers  scraping,  and  Kato 
of  the  mill  tripping  it  with  Dick  of  the  vineyard. 

"Thus  you  see  how  some  few  of  my  days  pass 
away.  I  see  a  great  deal,  and  think  a  great  deal, 
but  derive  little  pleasure  from  either,  because  I  am 
forced  into  both,  and  am  alone  in  both." 

The  amazing  perseverance  which  characterized 
Ledyard's  character  is  illustrated  by  the  pertinacit; 
with  which  he  still  adhered  to  his  project  in  refe 
ence  to  the  American  fur-trade.  Being  prevent 
by  many  disappointments  from  reaching  the  North 
west  coast  by  sea,  he  determined  to  travel  thither  by 
land.  His  route  would  lie  through  the  boundless 
and  frozen  plains  of  Siberia,  where  very  great  perils 
would  surround  him.  He  was  almost  without  means 
or  any  of  the  necessary  facilities  for  such  a  journey. 
Yet  he  did  not  despair.  He  succeeded,  after  con 
siderable  trouble  and  delay,  in  obtaining  the  per 
mission  of  the  Empress  Catherine  H.  to  travel 
through  her  dominions.  He  proceeded  to  Hamburg, 
thence  to  Copenhagen,  and  arrived  at  St.  Peters 
burg  after  traversing  Sweden,  Lapland,  and  Finland 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  311 

on  foot  in  the  midst  of  winter.  When  he  passed 
through  the  village  of  Tornea,  he  found  all  the 
streets  deserted  and  the  houses  buried  to  their  very 
roofs  in  snow.  The  thermometer  stood  thirty-seven 
degrees  below  the  freezing-point.  He  thus  speaks 
of  this  extraordinary  journey: 

"I  cannot  tell  you  by  what  means  I  came  to 
Petersburg,  and  hardly  know  by  what  means  I  shall 
quit  it  in  the  further  prosecution  of  my  tour  round 
the  world  by  land.  If  I  have  any  merit  in  the 
affair,  it  is  perseverance,  for  most  severely  have  I 
been  buffeted,  and  yet  still  am  even  more  obstinate 
than  before ;  and  fate,  as  obstinate,  continues  her 
assaults.  How  the  matter  will  terminate  I  know 
not.  The  most  probable  conjecture  is  that  I  shall 
succeed,  and  be  buffeted  round  the  world  as  I  have 
hitherto  been  from  England  through  Denmark, 
through  Sweden,  Swedish  Lapland,  Swedish  Fin 
land,  and  the  most  unfrequented  parts  of  Russian 
Finland,  to  this  aurora  borealis  of  a  city.  I  cannot 
give  you  a  history  of  myself  since  I  saw  you,  or 
since  I  wrote  you  last :  however  abridged,  it  would 
be  too  long.  Upon  the  whole,  mankind  have  used 
me  well ;  and,  though  I  have  as  yet  reached  only 
the  first  stage  of  my  journey,  I  feel  myself  much 
indebted  for  that  urbanity  which  I  always  thought 
more  general  than  many  think  it  to  be ;  and, 


312  JOHN  LEDYAKD. 

were  it  not  for  the  mischievous  laws  and  bad 
examples  of  some  governments  I  have  passed 
through,  I  am  persuaded  I  should  be  able  to  give 
you  a  still  better  account  of  our  fellow-creatures. 
But  I  am  hastening  to  countries  where  goodness,  if 
natural  to  the  human  heart,  will  appear  independent 
of  example,  and  furnish  an  illustration  of  the  charac 
ter  of  man  not  unworthy  of  him  who  wrote  the  De 
claration  of  Independence.  I  did  not  hear  of  the 
death  of  M.  de  Yergennes  until  I  arrived  here.  Per 
mit  me  to  express  my  regret  at  the  loss  of  so  great 
and  so  good  a  man.  Permit  me,  also,  to  congratulate 
you,  as  the  minister  of  my  country,  on  account  of 
the  additional  commercial  privileges  granted  by 
France  to  America,  and  to  express  my  ardent  wishes 
that  the  friendly  spirit  which  dictated  them  may 
last  forever.  I  was  extremely  pleased  at  reading 
the  account,  and,  to  heighten  the  satisfaction,  I 
found  the  name  of  La  Fayette  there. 

"  An  equipment  is  now  on  foot  here  for  the  Sea 
of  Kamtscbatka,  and  it  is  first  to  visit  the  north 
west  coast  of  America.  It  is  to  consist  of  four 
ships.  This,  and  the  expedition  that  went  from 
here  twelve  months  since  by  land  for  Kamtsehatka, 
are  to  co-operate  in  a  design  of  some  sort  in  the 
Northern  Pacific  Ocean, — the  Lord  knows  what, 
nor  does  it  matter  what  with  me,  nor  indeed  with 


JOHN   LED YARD.  313 

you,  nor  any  other  minister,  nor  any  potentate, 
south  of  fifty  degrees  of  latitude.  I  can  only  say 
that  you  are  in  no  danger  of  having  the  luxurious 
repose  of  your  charming  climates  disturbed  by  a 
second  incursion  of  either  Goth,  Vandal,  Hun,  or 
Scythian. 

"I  dined  to-day  with  Professor  Pallas.  He  is  an 
accomplished  man,  and  my  friend,  and  has  travelled 
throughout  European  and  Asiatic  Russia.  I  find 
the  little  French  I 'have  of  infinite  service  to  me.  I 
could  not  do  without  it.  It  is  a  most  extraordinary 
language.  I  believe  wolves,  rocks,  woods,  and  snow 
understand  it,  for  I  have  addressed  them  all  in  it, 
and  they  have  all  been  very  complaisant  to  me. 
"We  had  a  Scythian  at  table,  who  belongs  to  the 
Royal  Society  of  Physicians  here.  The  moment 
he  knew  me  and  my  designs,  he  became  my  friend ; 
and  it  will  be  by  his  generous  assistance,  joined 
with  that  of  Professor  Pallas,  that  I  shall  be  able  to 
procure  a  royal  passport,  without  which  I  cannot 
stir.  This  must  be  done  through  an  application 
to  the  French  minister,  there  being  no  American 
minister  here ;  and  to  his  secretary  I  shall  apply 
with  Dr.  Pallas  to-morrow,  and  shall  take  the  liberty 
to  make  use  of  your  name  and  that  of  the  Marquis 
de  la  Fayette,  as  to  my  character.  As  all  my  letters 

of  recommendation  were  English,  and  as  T  have 

27 


314  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

hitherto  been  used  by  the  English  with  the  greatest 
kindness  and  respect,  I  first  applied  to  the  British 
minister,  but  without  success.  The  apology  was 
that  the  present  political  condition  between  Russia 
and  England  would  make  it  disagreeable  for  the 
British  minister  to  ask  any  favor.  The  secretary 
of  the  French  embassy  will  despatch  my  letter,  and 
one  of  his  accompanying  it,  to  the  Count  Segur  to 
morrow  morning.  I  will  endeavor  to  write  you 
again  before  I  leave  Petersburg,  a'nd  give  you  some 
further  accounts  of  myself.  Meantime,  I  wish  you 
health.  I  have  written  a  short  letter  to  the  marquis. 
Adieu." 

Ledyard  left  St.  Petersburg  on  the  1st  of  June, 
and  arrived  at  Moscow  after  a  journey  of  six  days. 
Thence  he  proceeded  to  Kasan.  He  crossed  the 
Ural  Mountains  without  accident,  and  reached  To 
bolsk,  the  former  capital  of  Siberia.  Here  he  tar 
ried  a  short  time,  and  at  length  journeyed  on  to 
Irkutsk.  This  city  is  situated  nearly  in  the  centre 
of  the  vast  territories  of  Eussia  in  Asia,  and  is  the 
capital  of  a  province.  The  forms  of  society,  and  the 
aspects  of  human  life,  here  presented  a  novel  and 
striking  picture  to  his  view ;  exhibiting  the  appear 
ances  of  a  community  far  remote  from  the  great 
highways  of  civilization,  and  shut  out  from  all 
familiar  and  frequent  intercourse  with  the  world. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

LEDY.|RD'S  FURTHER  ADVENTURES  IN  SIBERIA. 

WHEN  Ledyard  arrived  at  Yakutsk,  he  desired  to 
proceed  immediately  to  Ochotsk,  which  is  six  hun 
dred  miles  farther  eastward.  This  town  is  situated 
on  the  sea  of  that  name,  and  marks  a  portion  of  the 
extreme  eastern  limits  of  the  continent  of  Asia.  It 
was  Ledyard's  intention  to  embark  at  Ochotsk  in  a 
vessel  hound  for  the  North  American  continent, 
which  would  thus  have  brought  him  directly  to  the 
locality  around  which  centred  all  his  golden  dreams 
in  reference  to  the  lucrative  fur-trade.  But  he  was 
destined  to  proceed  no  farther  than  Yakutsk.  He 
was  at  first  persuaded  to  postpone  his  journey,  in 
consequence  of  the  severity  and  the  perils  of  the 
weather,  till  the  ensuing  spring,  through  the  most 
earnest  solicitations  of  the  commandant  of  Yakutsk. 
This  personage  seemed  most  mysteriously  to  take  a 
profound  interest  in  his  welfare.  He  represented 
to  Ledyard  that  to  proceed  at  that  time  would  entail 
certain  death  upon  him;  although  Ledyard  knew 
that  the  journey  had  been  frequently  made  by  others 

315 


316  JOHN    LEDYARD. 

in  the  most  inclement   season  of  the  year.     Saya 
he: 

"The  commandant  assured  me  that  he  had  orders 
from  the  governor-general  to* render  me  all  possible 
kindness  and  service;  'but,  sir,'  continued  he,  'the 
first  service  I  am  bound  to  render  you  is,  to  beseech 
you  not  to  attempt  to  reach  Ochotsk  this  winter.'  He 
spoke  to  me  in  French.  I  almost  rudely  insisted 
on  being  permitted  to  depart  immediately,  and  ex 
pressed  surprise  that  a  Yakuti  Indian  and  a  Tartar 
horse  should  be  thought  incapable  of  following  a 
man  born  and  educated  in  the  latitude  of  forty. 
He  declared,  upon  his  honor,  that  the  journey  was 
impracticable.  The  contest  lasted  two  or  three 
days,  in  which  interval,  being  still  fixed  in  my 
opinion,  I  was  preparing  for  the  journey.  The 
commandant  at  length  waited  on  me,  and  brought 
with  him  a  trader,  a  very  good,  respectable-looking 
man  of  about  fifty,  as  a  witness  to  the  truth  and 
propriety  of  his  advice  to  me.  This  trader,  for  ten 
or  twelve  years,  had  passed  and  repassed  often  from 
Yakutsk  to  Ochotsk*  I  was  obliged,  however  severely 
I  might  lament  the  misfortune,  to  yield  to  two  such 
advocates  for  my  happiness.  The  trader  held  out 
to  me  all  the  horrors  of  the  winter,  and  the  severity 
of  the  journey  at  the  best  season;  and  the  com 
mandant,  the  goodness  of  his  house  and  the  society 


JOHN  LEDYARD.  317 

here,  all  of  which  would  be  at  my  service.  The 
difficulty  of  the  journey  I  was  aware  of;  but  when  I 
assented  to  its  impracticability  it  was  a  compliment, 
for  I  do  not  believe  i?  is  so,  nor  hardly  any  thing 
else." 

During  the  delay  which  thus  ensued  in  the  pro 
gress  of  this  intrepid  traveller,  a  singular  and  mys 
terious  reverse  of  fortune  overtook  him.  Without 
any  previous  notice  or  warning  whatever,  he  was 
suddenly  arrested  by  the  express  order  of  the  Em* 
press  of  Russia,  and  was  hurried  back  under  the 
guard  of  two  soldiers,  upon  the  interminable  road 
toward  St.  Petersburg.  He  was  thus  rapidly  con 
veyed  from  post  to  post,  through  the  "vast  realms 
which  he  had  but  a  short  time  before  traversed 
under  the  protection  of  the  same  autocrat  who  now 
commanded  his  return.  His  guards  conducted  him 
to  the  confines  of  Poland,  set  him  free,  and  then 
informed  him  that  he  might  go  where  he  pleased, 
except  that,  if  he  ever  again  returned  into  the 
dominions  of  the  empress,  he  would  certainly  be 
hanged.  He  thus  speaks  of  this  mysterious  vicissi 
tude  in  his  fate : 

"I  had  penetrated  through  Europe  and  Asia, 
almost  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  but,  in  the  midst  of  my 
career,  was  arrested  a  prisoner  to  the  Empress  of 

Russia,  by  an  express  sent  after  me  for  that  purpose. 

27* 


318  JOHN   LEDYARD. 

I  passed  under  a  guard  part  of  last  winter  and 
spring;  was  banished  the  empire,  and  conveyed  to 
the  frontiers  of  Poland,  six  thousand  versts  from  the 
place  where  I  was  arrested^  and  this  journey  w*as 
performed  in  six  weeks.  Cruelties  and  hardships 
are  tales  I  leave  untold.  I  was  disappointed  in  the 
pursuit  of  an  object  oil  which  my  future  fortune 
entirely  depended.  I  know  not  how  I  passed  through 
the  kingdoms  of  Poland  and  Prussia,  or  from  thence 
to  London,  where  I  arrived  in  the  beginning  of 
May,  disappointed,  ragged,  penniless;  and  yet  so 
accustomed  am  I  to  such  things,  that  I  declare  my 
heart  was  whole.  My  health  for  the  first  time  had 
suffered  from  my  confinement,  and  the  amazing 
rapidity  with  which  I  had  been  carried  through  the 
illimitable  wilds  of  Tartary  and  Russia.  But  my 
liberty  regained,  and  a  few  days'  rest  among  the 
beautiful  daughters  of  Israel  in  Poland,  re-esta 
blished  it,  and  I  am  now  in  as  full  bloom  and  vigor 
as  thirty-seven  years  will  afford  any  man.  Jarvis 
says  I  look  much  older  than  when  he  saw  me  three 
summers  ago  at  Paris,  which  I  can  readily  believe. 
An  American  face  does  not  wear  well,  like  an  Ame 
rican  heart." 

It  is  difficult  to  assign  a  plausible  reason  for  this 
extraordinary  change  in  the  policy  and  purpose  of 
Catherine  II.  The  most  probable  explanation  is 


JOHN   LEDYAKD.  319 

the  fact  that,  upon  further  reflection,  she  felt  an 
unwillingness  to  permit  the  new  possessions  of  Rus 
sia  on  the  western  coast  of  America  to  be  subjected 
to  the  scrutiny  of  an  "inquisitive  American,  who 
would  afterward  report  his  observations  in  the 
United  States ;  which  country  she  detested  as  the 
hotbed  of  jacobinism  and  red-republicanism.  Thus 
again  were  all  Ledyard's  hopes  blasted,  and  the 
infinite  toils  which  he  had  endured  in  journeying 
four  thousand  miles  by  land  eastward,  rendered 
futile  and  useless.  He  made  his  way  sadly  from 
Poland  to  England,  still  incommoded  by  poverty, 
still  harassed  by  disappointment,  yet  still  hopeful 
and  intrepid  as  to  the  future. 

In  London,  Ledyard's  best  friend  was  Sir  Joseph 
Banks.  This  munificent  person  supplied  his  most 
pressing  necessities,  and  cheered  him  with  encou 
raging  representations  of  the  possibility  of  other 
plans  and  enterprises  which  would  prove  more 
successful  and  more  remunerative.  At  that  time 
the  "African  Association,"  located  in  the  British 
metropolis,  entertained  the  project  of  sending  out 
some  one  to  explore  the  interior  countries  of  Africa, 
and  to  ascertain  the  direction  and  the  sources  of  the 
river  Niger.  Sir  Joseph  Banks  proposed  to  Led- 
yard  that  he  himself  should  embark  in  this  enter 
prise.  Nothing  could  have  been  more  acceptable 


320  JOHN  LEDYAED. 

to  this  homeless  yet  daring  adventurer  than  this 
proposition.  He  immediately  signified  his  readi 
ness  to  undertake  the  mission.  Thus,  at  length, 
after  infinite  toils  and  sufferings  in  remote  and  in 
hospitable  lands,  which  he  had  traversed  in  poverty 
and  alone,  without  the  necessary  funds,  equipments, 
or  protection,  he  was  selected  by  an  opulent  and 
influential  organization  to  carry  out  their  favorite 
views,  and  was  furnished  with  every  thing  which 
would  be  requisite  for  his  wants,  for  his  security, 
and  for  his  success.  His  strong  ambition,  too,  which 
had  so  long  been  harassed  by  repeated  disappoint 
ments  and  failures,  was  now  flattered  with  the  pros 
pect  of  future  eminence  and  distinction. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

LEDYARD'S  EXPEDITION  TO  CENTRAL  AFRICA. 

ON  the  30th  of  June,  1788,  Ledyard  bade  adieu 
to  the  British  metropolis,  and  commenced  his 
journey  toward  the  distant  land  of  the  Kile.  He 
visited  his  former  friend  Mr.  Jefferson,  when  pass 
ing  through  Paris;  who  received  him  with  great 
cordiality,  and  encouraged  him  with  cheering  pros 
pects  and  anticipations  of  future  prosperity.  From 
Paris  Ledyard  proceeded  to  Marseilles,  at  which 
port  he  embarked  for  Alexandria.  He  thus  de 
scribes,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  his  first  expe 
riences  of  Eastern  travel : 

"As  I  shall  go  to  Cairo  in  a  few  days,  from 
whence  it  may  be  difficult  for  me  to  write  to  you,  I 
do  it  here,  though  unprepared.  I  am  in  good  health 
and  spirits,  and  the  prospects  before  me  are  flatter 
ing.  This  intelligence,  with  my  wishes  for  your 
happiness  and  an  eternal  remembrance  of  your 
goodness  to  me,  must  form  the  only  part  of  my  letter 
of  any  consequence, — except  that  I  desire  to  be 

remembered  to  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  his  lady, 
v  321 


322  JOHN  LEDYARD. 

Mr.  Short,  and  other  friends.  Deducting  the  week 
I  stayed  at  Paris,  and  two  days  at  Marseilles,  I  was 
only  thirty-four  days  from  London  to  this  place. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  inform  you  that  I  regret  having 
visited  the  gentleman  you  mentioned,  and  of  having 
made  use  of  your  name.  I  shall  ever  think,  though 
he  was  extremely  polite,  that  he  rather  strove  to 
prevent  my  embarking  at  Marseilles  than  to  facili 
tate  it;  for,  by  bandying  me  about  among  the  mem 
bers  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  he  had  nearly, 
and  very  nearly,  lost  me  my  passage ;  and  in  the 
last  ship  from  Marseilles  for  the  season.  He  knew 
better:  he  knew  that  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
had  no  business  with  me ;  and,  besides,  I  only  asked 
him  if  he  could  without  trouble  address  me  to  the 
captain  of  a  ship  bound  to  Alexandria:  nothing 
more. 

"Alexandria  at  large  presents  a  scene  more 
wretched  than  I  have  witnessed.  Poverty,  rapine, 
murder,  tumult,  blind  bigotry,  cruel  persecution, 
pestilence  !  A  small  town  built  on  the  ruins  of  an 
tiquity,  as  remarkable  for  its  miserable  architecture 
as  I  suppose  the  place  once  was  for  its  good  and 
great  works  of  that  kind.  Pompey's  Pillar  and 
Cleopatra's  Obelisk  are  now  almost  the  only  remains 
of  remote  antiquity.  They  are  both,  and  particu 
larly  the  former,  noble  objects  to  contemplate,  and 


I 


JOHN  LEDYAKD.  323 

are  certainly  more  captivating  from  the  contrast  of 
the  deserts  and  forlorn  prospects  around  them.  No 
man  of  whatever  turn  of  mind  can  see  the  whole, 
without  retiring  from  the  scene  with  a  Sic  transit 
gloria  mundi." 

Having  passed  ten  days  only  at  Alexandria,  he 
pursued  his  journey  up  the  Nile  to  Cairo,  where  he 
arrived  on  the  19th  of  August.  Here  again  he 
wrote  to  Mr.  Jefferson : 

"I  sent  you  a  short  letter  from  Alexandria.  I 
begin  this  without  knowing  where  I  shall  close  it, 
or  when  I  shall  send  it,  or,  indeed,  whether  I  shall 
ever  send  it.  But  I  will  have  it  ready  in  case  an 
opportunity  shall  offer.  Having  heen  in  Cairo  only 
four  days,  I  have  not  seen  much  of  particular  inte 
rest  for  you  ;  and,  indeed,  you  will  not  expect  much 
of  this  kind  from  me.  My  business  is  in  another 
quarter,  and  the  information  I  seek  totally  new. 
Any  thing  from  this  place  would  not  be  so. 

"  At  all  events,  I  shall  never  want  a  subject  when 
it  is  to  you  I  write.  I  shall  never  think  my  letter 
an  indifferent  one,  when  it  contains  the  declaration 
of  my  gratitude  and  my  affection  for  you ;  and  this, 
notwithstanding  you  thought  hard  of  me  for  being 
employed  by  an  English  association,  which  hurt  me 
much  while  I  was  at  Paris.  You  know  your  own 
heart;  and,  if  my  suspicions  are  groundless,  forgivo 


824  JOHN  LEDYARD. 

them,  since  they  proceed  from  the  jealousy  I  have 
not  to  lose  the  regard  you  have  in  times  past  been 
pleased  to  honor  me  with.  You  are  not  obliged  to 
esteem  me ;  but  I  am  obliged  to  esteem  you,  or  to 
take  leave  of  my  senses  and  confront  the  opinions 
of  the  greatest  and  best  characters  I  know.  If  I 
cannot,  therefore,  address  myself  to  you  as  a  man 
you  regard,  I  must  do  it  as  one  that  regards  you  for 
your  own  sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  my  country, 
which  has  set  me  the  example. 

"  I  made  my  tour  from  Alexandria  by  water,  and 
entered  the  Nile  by  the  western  branch  of  the 
mouth  of  the  river.  I  was  five  days  coming  from 
Cairo ;  but  this  passage  is  generally  made  in  four, 
and  sometimes  in  three  days.  You  have  heard  and 
read  much  of  the  Nile,  and  so  had  I;  but  when  I 
saw  it  I  could  not  conceive  it  to  be  the  same.  What 
eyes  do  travellers  see  with?  Are  they  fools  or 
rogues  ?  For  heaven's  sake,  hear  the  plain  truth 
about  it.  First,  in  regard  to  its  size.  Obvious 
comparisons  in  such  cases  are  good.  Do  you  know 
the  river  Connecticut?  Of  all  -the  rivers  I  have 
seen,  it  most  resembles  that  in  size.  It  is  a  little 
wider,  and  may  on  that  account  better  compare 
with  the  Thames.  This  is  the  mighty,  the  sovereign 
of  rivers,  the  vast  Nile,  that  has  been  metamor 
phosed  into  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  world.  Let 


JOHN  LEDTARD.  325 

me  be  careful  how  I  read,  and,  above  all,  how  I  read 
ancient  history.  You  have  heard,  and  read,  too, 
much  of  its  inundations.  If  the  thousands  of  large 
and  small  canals  from  it,  and  the  thousands  of  men 
and  machines  employed  to  transfer  by  artificial 
means  the  water  of  the  Nile  to  the  meadows  on  its 
banks, — if  this  be  the  inundation  that  is  meant,  it 
is  true :  any  other  is  false.  It  is  not  an  inundating 
river.  I  came  up  the  river  from  the  15th  to  the 
20th  of  August,  and  about  the  30th  the  water  will 
be  at  the  height  of  the  freshet.  When  1  left  the 
river,  its  banks  were  four,  five,  and  six  feet  above 
the  water;  and  here  in  town  I  am  told  they  expect 
the  Nile  to  be  only  one  or  two  feet  higher  at  the 
most.  This  is  a  proof,  if  any  were  wanted,  that  the 
river  does  not  overflow  its  banks. 

"  I  saw  the  Pyramids  as  I  passed  up  the  river,  but 
they  were  four  or  five  leagues  off.  It  is  warm  wea 
ther  here  at  present ;  and,  were  it  not  for  the  north 
winds,  that  cool  themselves  in  their  passage  over  the 
Mediterranean  and  blow  upon  us,  we  should  be  in 
a  sad  situation.  As  it  is,  I  think  I  have  felt  it  hotter 
at  Philadelphia  in  the  same  month.  The  city  of 
Cairo  is  about  half  as  large  in  size  as  Paris,  and  is 
said  to  contain  seven  hundred  thousand  inhabitants. 
You  will  therefore  anticipate  the  fact  of  its  narrow 

streets  and  high  houses.    In  this  number  are  eon- 

28 


326  JOHN  LEDYARD. 

tained  one  hundred  thousand  Copts,  or  descendants 
of  the  ancient  Egyptians.  There  are  likewise  Chris 
tians,  and  those  of  different  sects,  from  Jerusalem, 
Damascus,  Aleppo,  and  other  parts  of  Syria. 

"  With  regard  to  my  journey,  I  can  only  tell  you 
with  any  certainty  that  I  shall  be  able  to  pass  as  far 
as  the  western  boundaries  of  what  is  called  Turkish 
Nubia,  to  the  town  of  Sennaar.  I  expect  to  get 
there  with  some  surety.  Beyond  that  all  is  dark 
before  me.  My  wishes  and  designs  are  to  pass  in 
that  parallel  across  the  continent.  I  will  write  from 
Sennaar  if  I  can. 

"You  know  the  disturbances  in  this  unhappy 
country,  and  the  nature  of  them.  The  beys,  re 
volted  from  the  bashaw,  have  possession  of  Upper 
Egypt,  and  are  now  encamped  with  an  army — pitiful 
enough,  indeed — about  three  miles  south  of  Cairo. 
They  say  to  the  bashaw,  'Come  out  of  your  city 
and  fight  us ;'  and  the  bashaw  says,  '  Come  out  of 
your  intrenchments  and  fight  me.'  You  know  this 
revolt  is  a  stroke  in  Russian  politics.  Nothing 
merits  more  the  whole  force  of  burlesque  than  both 
the  poetic  and  prosaic  legends  of  this  country. 
Sweet  are  the  songs  of  Egypt  on  paper.  Who  is 
not  ravished  with  gums,  balms,  dates,  figs,  pome 
granates,  cassia,  and  sycamores,  without  recollect 
ing  that  amidst  these  are  dust,  hot  and  fainting 


LEDYARD.  327 

winds,  bugs,  mosquitos,  spiders,  flies,  leprosy, 
fevers,  and  almost  universal  blindness?  I  am  in 
perfect  health.  Adieu  for  the  present,  and  believe 
me  to  be,  with  all  possible  esteem  and  regard,  your 
sincere  friend." 

From  Alexandria  Ledyard  proceeded  to  Cairo. 
Here  he  made  those  preparations  for  his  journey 
into  the  interior  which  were  still  requisite.  His 
purpose  was  to  join  some  caravan  which  travelled 
southward  and  continue  with  it  to  the  end  of  its 
route;  after  which  he  determined  to  shape  his 
course  according  to  circumstances.  He  employed 
three  months  at  Cairo  in  various  preliminary  labors. 
His  journal  describes  with  great  interest  his  pro 
gress  from  Alexandria  to  the  gorgeous  capital  of 
Egypt,  as  well  as  his  plans  and  arrangements  for  the 
future  completion  of  his  enterprise. 

But  the  malignant  and  hostile  fate  which  had 
attended  this  remarkable  man  throughout  his  whole 
life,  did  not  desert  him  even  in  the  hour  of  his 
brightest  hope.  The  shaft  of  death  prostrated  him 
just  on  the  eve  of  his  triumph.  During  his  resi 
dence  at  Cairo  he  was  much  exposed  to  the  heat  of 
the  sun,  at  a  very  unfavorable  period  of  the  year. 
This  exposure  brought  on  an  attack  of  bilious 
colic.  Ledyard  rashly  attempted  to  cure  himself 
by  administering  the  ordinary  remedy  of  vitriolic 


328  .    JOHN   LEDYARD. 

acid.  The  quantity  taken  proved  to  be  too  great, 
and  he  endeavored  to  relieve  himself  by  a  powerful 
dose  of  tartar  emetic.  This  unfortunate  combina 
tion  of  pernicious  influences,  after  a  few  hours  of 
acute  suffering,  produced  his  death;  though  he 
was  finally  attended  by  the  best  medical  aid  in 
Cairo.  He  expired  on  the  26th  of  November,  1788, 
in  the  thirty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

Thus  prematurely  terminated  the  life  and  the 
vicissitudes  of  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  tra 
vellers  of  modern  times.  It  is  highly  probable  that, 
had  Ledyard  lived  to  execute  his  bold  and  compre 
hensive  plans  in  reference  to  the  exploration  of 
Central  Africa,  he  would  have  attained  results  and 
achieved  a  fame  which  would  far  exceed  those  of 
any  other  adventurer  in  that  clime ;  for  he  was 
undoubtedly  the  most  determined,  the  most  intrepid, 
and  the  most  sagacious  of  all  the  men  who  have 
ever  attempted  to  fathom  the  great  geographical 
and  historical  mysteries  which  yet  overhang,  with 
such  profound  and  impressive  effect,  those  vast  and 
diversified  realms ;  where  the  gorgeous  ruins  of 
Meroe  and  Luxor,  the  still  existing  commerce  of 
Sennaar,  Nubia,  and  Abyssinia  in  spices,  gold,  and 
aromatic  gums,  the  glorious  temples  of  Thebes, 
the  colossal  tombs  of  Sesostris  and  Rameses,  the 


JOHN   LEDYARD.  329 

* 

musical  statue  of  Memnon,  and  the  sculptured 
obelisks  of  Karnak,  all  proclaim  the  still  unequalled 
splendors  of  that  mysterious  land,  which  to  this 
day  invite  the  scrutiny  and  reward  the  toil  of  the 
resolute  explorer. 


ss* 


PART  IY. 

CHARLES  WILKES. 

CHAPTER  L 

PURPOSES    OP    THE    UNITED  '  STATES    EXPLORING    EXPE 
DITION. 

THE  United  States  Exploring  Expedition,  which 
sailed  under  the  orders  of  Captain  Charles  Wilkes 
during  the  years  1838,  '39,  '40,  '41,  '42,  was  the  first 
in  the  order  of  time  which  had  ever  been  organized 
under  the  auspices  of  the  United  States  Government, 
or  fitted  out  by  national  munificence.  On  the  18th 
of  May,  1836,  Congress  passed  an  act  authorizing 
an  expedition  to  be  prepared  and  sent  forth  for 
the  purpose  of  exploring  and  surveying  the  great 
Southern  ocean,  with  special  reference  to  such  in 
vestigations  as  would  promote  the  interest  of  Ame 
rican  citizens  who  were  engaged  in  the  commerce 
connected  with  whale-fisheries.  The  commander 
of  the  expedition  was  instructed  to  ascertain  and  fix 
the  position  of  those  islands  and  shoals  which  lie 


CHARLES   WILKES.  331 

in  or  near  the  usual  course  of  American  vessels, 
which  had  escaped  the  scrutiny  of  former  naviga 
tors.  Six  ships  of  various  sizes  were  placed  under 
his  orders, — the  sloops-of-war  Yincennes  and  Pea 
cock,  the  ship  Eelief,  the  brig  Porpoise,  and  the 
tenders  Sea-Gull  and  Flying-Fish.  The  route  de 
signated  for  Captain  "Wilkes  was  as  follows :  starting 
frpm  Norfolk,  he  was  directed  first  to  sail  to  Rio  de 
Janeiro,  thence  to  Rio  Negro,  to  Terra  del  Fuego, 
to  the  Navigators'  Group  and  Feejee  Islands.  Having 
penetrated  the  Antarctic  region,  he  was  ordered  to 
proceed  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and  thence  to  the 
northwest  coast  of  America  and  California.  After 
making  various  investigations  there,  he  was  to  sail 
westward  to  Japan,  thence  to  the  Straits  of  Sunda 
and  Singapore,  and  return  to  the  United  States  by 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope.  This  extensive  outline  of 
research  and  exploration  was  wisely  selected  with 
reference  to  the  most  pressing  wants  of  American 
commerce ;  and  the  important,  diversified,  and  diffi 
cult  aims  prescribed  to  the  commander  in  his  in 
structions  by  the  United  States  Government,  were 
pursued  by  him,  during  the  five  years  employed  in 
the  service,  with  unsurpassed  ability,  with  unweary 
ing  perseverance,  and  with  brilliant  success. 

Captain  Wilkes  received  his  sailing-instructions 
on  the  17th  of  August,  1838,  with  orders  to  put  to 


332  CHARLES   WILKES. 

sea  immediately.  Accordingly,  the  next  day  the 
squadron  under  his  command  sailed  from  the  port 
of  Norfolk,  and  on  the  19th  he  passed  Cape  Henry 
light.  The  vessels  were  well  provisioned  and  well 
armed  in  every  respect ;  the  officers  of  the  several 
vessels  had  been  selected  with  care,  with  special 
reference  to  their  fitness  for  their  respective  duties ; 
and  every  preparation  had  been  made  to  secure 
success.  On  the  16th  of  September  the  squadron 
reached  the  island  of  Madeira.  Having  disem 
barked  with  a  portion  of  his  officers  and  his  corps 
of  scientific  men,  Captain  "Wilkes  explored  the  in 
terior  of  the  island  and  the  more  important  harbors. 
The  greatest,  natural  curiosity  here  is  a  peculiar  for 
mation  termed  the  Curral,  a  spot  full  of  beauty  and 
grandeur,  which  seems  to  have  been  in  former  ages 
the  capacious  crater  of  an  active  volcano. 

On  the  25th  of  September,  1838,  the  squadron 
sailed  from  Madeira  and  directed  their  course  south 
ward,  with  the  intention  of  passing  over  those  locali 
ties  where  shoals  were  supposed  to  exist  which  had 
not  yet  been  sounded.  They  touched  at  the  Cape 
de  Yerd  Islands.  On  the  23d  of  November  they 
came  in  sight  of  the  magnificent  harbor  of  Bio  de 
Janeiro,  which  appeared  proudly  in  the  distance. 
They  soon  touched  the  pier  in  the  famous  capital  of 
Brazil.  Their  chief  object  here  was  to  replenish 


CHARLES   WILKES.  333 

their  provisions  and  various  other  necessary  stores ; 
but,  this  duty  being  completed,  Captain  Wilkes 
employed  the  opportunity  to  examine  the  city  and 
a  portion  of  the  interior. 

On  the  6th  of  January,  1839,  the  squadron  weighed 
anchor  in  the  port  of  Eio  de  Janeiro  and  sailed 
southward.  On  the  18th  of  the  month  they  passed 
through  the  discolored  water  which  flows  into  the 
ocean  from  the  Rio  la  Platte,  seventy-eight  miles 
distant  from  its  mouth.  On  the  25th  they  neared 
the  coast  of  Buenos  Ayres,  and  passing  on,  reached 
Terra  del  Fuego  on  the  13th  of  February.  This 
strange  and  barbarous  land,  inhabited  by  the  most 
abject  and  miserable  of  human  beings,  was  never 
theless  so  situated  as  to  be  of  great  importance  to 
the  purposes  of  the  expedition.  The  squadron  was 
therefore  here  divided,  and  a  portion  sent  to  explore 
westward  as  far  as  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  Captain  Cook. 
Another  portion  was  despatched  southward  to  exa 
mine  the  southeast  side  of  Palmer's  Island.  •  A  third 
portion  was  detailed  to  the  Straits  of  Magellan. 
The  Yincennes,  the  flag-ship  of  the  commander,  re 
mained  on  the  coast  of  Terra  del  Fuego.  Captain 
"Wilkes  thus  describes  the  inhabitants :  "  They  are 
not  more  than  five  feet  high,  of  a  light  coffee-color, 
which  is  much  concealed  by  smut  and  dirt,  particu 
larly  on  their  faces,  which  they  mark  vertically  with 


334  CHARLES  WILKES. 

charcoal.  They  have  short  faces,  narrow  foreheads, 
and  high  cheek-bones.  Their  eyes  are  small  and 
usually  black,  the  upper  eyelids  in  the  inner  corner 
overlapping  the  under  one,  and  bear  a  strong  re 
semblance  to  those  of  the  Chinese.  Their  nose  is 
broad  and  flat,  with  wide-spread  nostrils,  mouth 
large,  teeth  white,  large,  and  regular.  The  hair  is 
long,  lank,  and  black,  hanging  over  the  face,  and  is 
covered  with  white  ashes,  which  gives  them  a  hideous 
appearance.  The  whole  face  is  compressed.  Their 
bodies  are  remarkable  from  the  great  development 
of  the  chest,  shoulders,  and  vertebral  column  ;  their 
arms  are  long,  and  out  of  proportion,  their  legs 
small  and  ill  made.  There  is,  in  fact,  little  difference 
between  the  size  of  the  ankle  and  leg ;  and,  when 
standing,  the  skin  at  the  knee  hangs  in  a  large,  loose 
fold.  In  some  the  muscles  of  the  leg  appear  almost 
wanting,  and  possess  very  little  strength.  This 
want  of  development  in  the  muscles  of  the  legs  is 
owing  to  their  constant  sitting  posture,  both  in  their 
huts  and  canoes.  Their  skin  is  sensibly  colder  than 
ours.  It  is  impossible  to  fancy  any  thing  in  human 
nature  more  filthy.  They  are  an  ill-shapen  and 
ugly  race." 


CHAPTER  IL 

EXPLORATIONS  IN   THE   SOUTHERN   OCEAN  AND   CHILI. 

BY  the  25th  of  February,  1839,  Captain  Wilkes 
had  completed  his  arrangements  for  the  Southern 
cruise ;  and,  all  the  members  of  the  squadron  being 
again  assembled,  after  the  execution  of  the  several 
explorations  to  which  they  had  been  recently  de 
spatched,  the  signal  was  given  to  the  ships  to  get 
under  way.  At  this  point  Captain  Wilkes  ascer 
tained,  by  careful  experiment,  that  the  rapidity  of 
the  waves  around  Cape  Horn,  in  tranquil  weather, 
was  twenty-six  and  a  half  miles  per  hour;  and  that 
the  greatest  height  of  the  waves  was  thirty-two  feet. 
Such  prodigious  velocity  and  bulk  of  the  billows 
will  readily  suggest  the  appalling  horrors  which 
would  sweep  over  the  deep  in  that  stormy  clime, 
when  lashed  by  the  fierce  fury  of  a  tempest. 

On  the  2d  of  March  they  approached  the  first  frozen 
islands  of  the  Southern  ocean.  The  water  was 
covered  with  fragments  of  ice  of  every  possible 
shape.  The  squadron  sailed  safely  through  this 
immense  expanse  of  waters  in  various  directions. 

335 


336  CHARLES  WILKES. 

Having  completed  the  objects  of  the  expedition  in 
this  portion  of  the  globe,  Captain  Wilkes  steered 
northward  toward  the  coast  of  Chili.  Of  this  por 
tion  of  his  labors  he  thus  speaks : 

"Before  leaving  these  desolate  and  stormy  re 
gions,  it  may  be  expected  that  I  should  say  a  few 
words  relative  to  the  passage  round  the  Cape. 
There  are  so  many  opinions  relative  to  the  best 
manner  of  proceeding  in  this  navigation,  that  one 
in  consulting  them  derives  but  little  satisfaction,  no 
two  authorities  agreeing  in  their  views  upon  the 
subject.  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  as  much  de 
pends  upon  the  vessel  and  the  manner  in  which  she 
is  navigated,  as  the  route  pursued,  whether  the  Cape 
is  passed  close  to,  or  given  a  good  berth :  the  object 
of  all  is  to  pass  it  as  quickly  as  possible,  and,  taking 
into  consideration  the  difficulties  to  .be  incurred 
from  boisterous  weather,  heavy  seas,  and  ice,  it  is 
impossible  to  lay  down  any  precise  rule  :  that  course 
which  appears  most  feasible  at  the  time  ought  to  be 
adopted,  keeping,  however,  in  view,  that  there  is  no 
danger  to  be  apprehended  in  navigating  on  the  west 
ern  coast  of  Terra  del  Fuego,  as  the  current  sets 
along  its  coast,  and  it  is  perfectly  safe  and  practi 
cable  to  navigate  it  as  far  as  Cape  Pillar.  The  great 
difficulty  exists  in 'passing  the  pitch  of  the  Cape; 
there  is  none  afterward  in  getting  to  the  westward. 


CHARLES   WILKES.  837 

On  the  coast,  the  wind  seldom  blows  long  from  the 
same  quarter,  but  veers  from  southwest  to  north 
west  :  the  gales  generally  begin  at  the  former  quarter 
and  end  at  the  latter.  Previous  to  the  southwest 
gales,  it  would,  therefore,  in  all  cases,  be  advisable, 
when  indications  of  their  occurrence  are  visible, 
(which  are  known  by  the  banks  of  cumuli  in  that 
quarter  some  twenty-four  hours  previously,)  to  stand 
to  the  southward  and  westward  in  preference,  with 
as  much  sail  as  well  can  be  carried,  that  when  the 
change  occurs  you  may  be  ready  to  stand  on  the 
other  tack  to  the  northward.  One  thing  every 
navigator  ought  to  bear  in  mind :  that'it  requires  all 
the  activity  and  perseverance  he  may  be  possessed 
of,  to  accomplish  it  quickly. 

"On  the  20th  we  took  our  final  leave  of  these 
waters,  and  on  the  21st  lost  sight  of  land,  passing 
to  the  northward  of  the  island  of  Diego  Ramieres." 

The  squadron  having  entered  the  port  of  Valpa 
raiso,  its  officers  explored  the  interior  of  the  coun 
try,  and  continued  their  scientific  researches.  At 
the  same  time  they  scrutinized  the  social  habits  and 
peculiarities  of  the  people.  Captain  "Wilkes  thus 
describes  some  of  the  latter:  "The  Chilians  are 
extremely  fond  of  the  dance  called  the  Samacueca. 
This  may  be  called  the  national  dance,  and  is  in 

vogue  among  the  common  people.     It  is  usually 
w  29 


338  CHARLES   WILKES. 

performed  at  the  chingano,  which  is  a  kind  of  am 
phitheatre,  surrounded  by  apartments  where  refresh 
ments,  including  strong  drinks,  are  sold,  and  is 
generally  well  filled  by  both  sexes.  The  dance  is 
performed  on  a  kind  of  stage  under  an  open  shed. 
The  music  is  a  mixture  of  Spanish  and  Indian,  and 
is  performed  altogether  by  females,  on  an  old- 
fashioned,  long  and  narrow  harp,  one  end  of  which 
rests  on  the  lap  of  the  performer,  and  the  other  on 
the  stage,  ten  feet  off.  A  second  girl  is  seen  merrily 
beating  time  on  the  sounding-board  of  the  instru 
ment  On  the  right  is  another,  strumming  the 
common  chords  on  a  wire-string  guitar  or  kitty, 
making,  at  every  vibration  of  the  right  hand,  a  full 
sweep  across  all  the  strings,  and  varying  the  chords. 
In  addition  to  this,  they  sang  a  national  love-song, 
in  Spanish,  at  the  top  of  their  voices,  one  singing  a 
kind  of  alto,  the  whole  producing  a  very  strange 
combination  of  sounds. 

| 

"The  dance  is  performed  by  a  young  man  and 
woman:  the  former  is  gaudily  decked  in  a  light 
scarlet  jacket,  embroidered  with  gold  lace,  white 
pantaloons,  red  sash  and  pumps,  with  a  tiny  red 
cap  ;  whilst  that  of  his  partner  consists  of  a  gaudy 
painted  muslin  dress,  quite  short  and  stiffly  starched, 
not  a  little  aided  by  an  ample  pair  of  hips ;  thrown 
over  all  is  a  rich-colored  French  shawl ;  these,  with 


CHARLES   WILKES.  539 

well-fitted  silk  stockings,  complete  her  attire.  These 
last  are,  in  truth,  characteristic  of  the  Chilian  women 
of  all  classes,  and  they  take  no  pains  to  conceal 
them.  One  not  unfrequently  sees  the  extravagance 
of  silk  stockings  in  the  washerwomen  at  their  tubs, 
and  even  with  their  hands  in  the  suds.  The  dress 
in  general  fits  tightly,  and  nature  is  not  distorted  by 
tight  lacing  or  the  wearing  of  corsets.  Nothing  is 
worn  on  the  head;  and  the  hair,  parted  and  equally 
divided  from  the  forehead  back  to  the  neck,  hangs 
down  in  two  long  plaits  on  each  shoulder  to  the 
waist. 

"The  style  of  dancing  is  somewhat  like  a  fan 
dango.  The  couple  begin  by  facing  each  other  and 
flirting  handkerchiefs  over  each  other's  heads,  then 
approaching,  slowly  retreating  again,  then  quickly 
shooting  off  to  one  side,  passing  under  arms  without 
touching,  with  great  agility,  rattling  and  beating  time 
with  castanets.  Their  movements  are  quite  grace 
ful,  those  of  their  feet  pretty,  and  withal  quite 
amorous:  the  gestures  may  be  readily  understood, 
not  only  by  the  native  audience,  but  by  foreigners. 
I  cannot  say  much  for  its  moral  tendency. 

"The  higher  classes  of  females  have  the  name 
of  being  virtuous  and  estimable  in  their  domestic 
circle ;  but  we  cannot  say  that  they  are  beautiful. 
They  dress  their  hair  with  great  care  and  taste. 


340  CHARLES   WILKES. 

Their  feet  are  small,  and  they  have  a  graceful  car 
riage." 

In  exploring  the  interior  of  Chili,  the  celebrated 
chain  of  mountains  known  as  the  Cordilleras  would, 
of  course,  attract  special  attention.  The  botanical 
and  mineralogical  results  of  their  researches  were 
particularly  valuable.  The  soil  of  the  middle  region 
between  the  ocean  and  the  mountains  was  found  to 
be  a  mixture  of  loose  earth  and  pieces  of  rock. 

Captain  "Wilkes's  researches  extended  also  to  the 
political  history  and  condition  of  Chili;  and  they 
brought  to  light  many  interesting  facts  connected 
with  these  subjects  which  before  had  been  generally 
unknow  nor  unfamiliar. 


CHAPTEK  m. 

EXPLORATIONS   IN   PERU  AND   PAUMOTU   GROUP. 

HAVING  completed  his  labors  in  the  interior  and 
on  the  coast  of  Chili,  Captain  Wilkes  sailed,  on  the 
26th. of  May,  for  Callao,  in  Peru.  The  description 
which  he  gives  of  Lima,  the  capital  of  that  country, 
once  so  rich  and  splendid,  and  connected  with  such 
brilliant  historical  associations,  is  interesting  in  the 
extreme : 

"  The  neglected  walls  and  ruined  tenements,  the 
want  of  stir  and  life  among  the  people,  are  sad  evi 
dences  of  <Jecay.  The  population  is  now  said  to  be 
about  forty-five  thousand,  although  in  former  times 
it  has  been  supposed  to  amount  to  as  many  as  sixty- 
five  or  seventy  thousand. 

"The  aspect  of  the  city,  especially  a  bird's-eye 
view  from  the  neighboring  hills,  gives  to  the  eye  of 
the  stranger  the  appearance  of  ruins.  There  are 
few  buildings  that  have  the  look  of  durability,  and 
no  new  ones  have  been  put  up  for  the  last  forty 
years.  The  plan  of  the  city  combines  more  advan 
tages  than  any  other  that  could  have  been  adopted 

20*  311 


342  CHARLES   WILKES. 

for  the  locality.  The -.streets  are  at  right  angles, 
and  all  sufficiently  broad.  Those  which  run  with 
the  declivity  of  the  ground,  northwest  and  south 
east,  have  water  flowing  through  their  middle. 
They  have  not,  however,  a  very  clean  appearance ; 
but  this  is  certainly  not  to  be  imputed  to  the  want 
of  the  facility  of  being  made  so.  The  uses  to  which 
these  streams  are  put,  and  the  numerous  buzzards 
that  frequent  them,  give  the  stranger  any  other 
idea  than  that  of 'cleanliness.  The  buzzards  are 
protected  by  law,  and  may  be  seen  fighting  for  their 
food  in  the  gutters,  regardless  of  passers ;  or  sitting 
on  the  tops  of  the  houses,  thirty  or  forty  in  a  row, 
watching  for  more  food. 

"  Great  attention  has  been  paid  to  laying  out  the 
Alameda,  which  is  on  the  north  side  of  the  city. 
Its  centre  is  ornamented  with  a  number  of  foun 
tains  ;  its  walks  are  well  shaded  on  each  side  with 
trees,  and  the  running  water  adds  to  its  freshness : 
all  unite  to  form  a  delightful  promenade.  In  the 
cool  of  the  evening  it  is  much  frequented,  and  its 
stone  seats  are  occupied  by  numbers  of  citizens. 
This  is  the  best  place  to  get  a  view  of  the  inhabit 
ants;  and,  notwithstanding  their  internal  commo 
tions,  they  appear  fully  to  enjoy  their  cigaritas, 
which  they  are  constantly  smoking.  The  peculiar 
dress  of  the  ladies  is  here  seen  to  the  best  advan- 


CHARLES   WILKES.  343 

tage,  and,  however  fitted  it  may  be  to  cover  intrigue, 
is  not,  certainly,  adapted  to  the  display  of  beauty. 
A  more  awkward  and  absurd  dress  cannot  well  be 
conceived.  It  is  by  no  means  indicative  of  the 
wearer's  rank,  for  frequently  this  disguise  is  ragged 
and  tattered,  and  assumed  under  its  most  forbid 
ding  aspect  to  deceive,  or  carry  on  an  intrigue,  of 
which  it  is  almost  an  effectual  cloak. 

"I  never  could  behold  these  dresses  without  con 
sidering  them  as  an  emblem  of -the  wretched  con 
dition  of  domestic  society  in  this  far-famed  city. 

"  The  saya  and  manto  were  originally  intended  as 
a  retiring,  modest  dress,  to  mark  reserve,  to  insure 
seclusion,  and  to  enable  ladies  to  go  abroad  without 
an  escort.  The  general  term  for  the  wearers  is 
tapada ;  and  they  were  always  held  sacred  from  in 
sult.  Tapada  is  likewise  applied  to  a  dress  which 
is  also  frequently  seen,  viz. :  a  shawl  worn  over  the 
head,  so  as  to  cover  the  nose,  mouth,  and  forehead. 
None  but  the  most  intimate  friend  can  know  the 
wearers,  who  frequent  the  theatres  in  this  disguise. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  it  is  now  worn  for  very 
different  purposes  from  its  original  intention.  In 
trigues  of  all  kinds  are  said  to  be  carried  on  under 
it.  It  enables  the  wearer  to  mix  in  all  societies, 
and  to  frequent  any  place  of  amusement,  without 
being  known ;  and,  even  if  suspected  by  her  husband 


344 


CHARLES   WILKES. 


or  relatives,  the  law  of  custom  would  protect  her 
from  discovery.  In  thia  dress,  it  is  said,  a  wife  will 
pass  her  own  husband  when  she  may  be  walking 
with  her  lover,  and  the  husband  may  make  love  to 
his  wife  without  being  aware  it  is  she. 

"  The  saya  is  a  silk  petticoat  with  numerous  small 
vertical  plaits,  containing  about  thirty  yards  of  silk, 
and  costing  fifty  or  sixty  dollars.  It  is  drawn  in 
close  at  the  bottom  of  the  dress,  so  that  the  wearer 
is  obliged  to  make  very  short  steps,  (ten  inches.) 
It  is  a  little  elastic,  and  conforms  to  the  shape, 
whether  natural  or  artificial,  from  the  waist  down. 
The  manto  is  a  kind  of  cloak  of  black  silk.  It  is 
fastened  to  the  saya  at  the  waist,  and  brought  over 
the  head  and  shoulders  from  behind,  concealing 
every  thing  but  one  eye  and  one  hand,  in  which  is 
usually  seen  a  cross  or  whose  fingers  are  well  orna 
mented  with  jewels.  Before  the  manto  is  arranged, 
a  French  shawl  of  bright  colors  is  thrown  over  the 
shoulders,  and  brought  between  the  openings  of  the 
manto  in  front,  hanging  down  nearly  to  the  feet. 
The  loose  saya  is  also  much  worn :  this  is  not  con 
tracted  at  the  bottom,  and  in  walking  has  a  great 
swing  from  side  to  side. 

"The  walk  of  the  Lima  ladies  is  graceful  and 
pretty,  and  they  usually  have  small  feet  and  hands. 

"The  houses  are  built  of  sun-burnt  brick,  cane, 


CHAKLES  WILKES.  345 

and  small  timber.  All  those  of  the  better  class 
have  small  balconies  to  the  second  story.  Most  of 
the  houses  are  of  two  stories,  and  they  generally 
have  an  archway  from  the  street,  secured  by  a  strong 
portal,  leading  into  an  open  court.  The  lower  or 
ground  floor  is  used  as  storehouses,  stables,  &c. 
This  peculiar  manner  of  building  is  intended  as  a 
security  against  the  effects  of  earthquakes." 

On  the  13th  of  July,  1839,  the  squadron  sailed 
from  the  port  of  Callao  on  the  further  prosecution 
of  the  cruise,  and  steered  for  the  Paumotu  group  of 
islands,  the  examination  of  which  was  of  special  im 
portance  for  the  purposes  of  the  expedition.  On  the 
14th  of  August,  they  reached  Minerva  Island,  be 
longing  to  that  group.  They  proceeded  to  make  a 
regular  survey  of  it.  But  few  inhabitants  were  found 
upon  it,  and  these  spoke  the  Tahitian  dialect.  .  They 
seemed  to  be  a  fine,  athletic  race,  and  above  the  ordi 
nary  size.  They  did  not  exceed  several  hundred  in 
number.  In  the  progress  of  time  all  the  islands 
belonging  to  this  group  were  thoroughly  surveyed. 

"The  chief  was  an  old  man,  and  was  induced  to 
venture  off  toward  the  boat.  One  of  the  gentlemen 
swam  to  those  on  shore :  his  reception  was  similar 
to  that  met  with  at  the  other  islands, — rubbing  noses, 
kissing,  and  shaking  of  hands.  Whenever  he  at 
tempted  to  lay  his  hands  on  them  they  started  back, 


346  CHARLES   WILKES. 

but  were  continually  pawing  and  whining  over  him, 
making  a  kind  of  purring  noise,  not  unlike  that  by 
which  we  propitiate  or  soothe  the  feelings  or  doubt 
ful  temper  of  some  beast.  They  presented  them 
with  mats  made  of  the  pandanus-leaf,  and  also 
pieces  of  worn-out  tapa,  in  return  for  many  articles 
received,  but  would  not  suffer  our  people  to  put 
their  feet  upon  dry  ground,  and,  when  it  was  at 
tempted, -kept  shoving  them  gently  into  the  water. 

"  The  naturalists  in  the  afternoon  endeavored  to 
effect  a  landirrg  at  another  place,  out  of  sight  of  the 
natives,  and  succeeded.  Mr.  Brackenridge,  on  land 
ing  the  second  time,  ran  to  the  thicket,  in  order  to 
lose  no  time  in  making  collections,  and  was  em 
ployed  in  gathering  specimens,  when  two  stout 
natives  came  running  up  and  made  him  understand 
by  very  intelligible  signs  that  he  must  return  to  the 
boat:  he  pretended  not  to  understand  them,  and 
endeavored  to  proceed ;  but  they  went  before  him, 
and  crossed  their  clubs,  determined  that  he  should 
go  no  farther.  This  caused  him  to  laugh,  in  which 
the  two  natives  joined.  Finding  there  was  no  alter 
native,  he  took  an  oblique  direction  toward  the  boat, 
hoping  by  this  means  to  enlarge  his  collection,  which 
he  succeeded  in  doing,  while  the  natives,  as  he  de 
scribes  it,  shouldered  him  out  of  the  bush  and  then 
toward  the  boat.  The  rest  of  the  party,  having  gone 


CHARLES   WILKES.  347 

up  to  the  huts,  were  at  once  seized  and  shoved 
down  toward  the  boat  and  into  the  surf,  where  they 
presented  rather  a  ludicrous  appearance,  with  the 
danger  of  drowning  on  the  one  side,  and  the  natives 
on  the  other,  who  had  them  completely  in  their 
power,  as  they  had  neither  arms  nor  any  other 
means  of  defence.  No  harm,  however,  was  done 
them,  but  the  alarm  incident  to  being  threatened 
with  spears.  The  only  mishap  met  with  was  the 
loss,  by  one  of  the  gentlemen,  of  a  pair  of  spec 
tacles,  and  a  bruise  or  two  from  the  coral,  in  their 
hurried  retreat.  As  the  surf  was  heavy,  life-pre 
servers  were  sent  to  those  who  could  not  swim ;  and, 
after  much  detention,  they  reached  the  boat  in 
safety.  Had  such  a  circumstance  occurred  at  Cler- 
mont  de  Tonnerre,  I  am  satisfied  that  most  serious 
consequences  would  have  resulted  to  us." 

On  the  1st  of  September  the  squadron  reached 
Vincennes  Island,  belonging  to  the  Paumotu  group. 
Thence  they  proceeded  to  Carlshoff  Island,  twenty 
miles  farther  to  the  westward.  A  careful  survey  of 
both  was  made.  Next  came  the  island  of  Ahii. 
"  This  island  is  not  inhabited,  and  has  only  a  small 
boat-entrance  into  its  lagoon  on  the  west  side.  The 
coral  belt  is  similar  to  that  last  described;  it  was 
found  to  be  upwards  of  half  a  mile  in  width,  and 
vras  covered  with  the  same  kind  of  vegetation  as 


348  CHARLES   WILKES. 

the  last,  excepting  cocoanut-trees,  of  which  none 
were  found  on  the  island.  The  lagoon  is  quite 
shallow.  A  favorite  fish  with  the  natives  is  found 
in  it,  and  at  certain  seasons  they  visit  the  island  for 
the  purpose  of  catching  them.  The  coral  shelf 
varied  from  two  to  five  hundred  feet  in  breadth. 

"Being  desirous  of  making  the  examination  of 
as  many  of  the  coral  islands  as  possible,  I  now  de 
spatched  the  Peacock  to  the  Arutua  or  Rurick 
Islands,  with,  directions  to  examine  them,  and  then 
to  proceed  along  the  south  side  of  Dean's  Island, 
whilst,  in  the  Vincennes,  I  steered  for  the  north  side 
of  the  latter,  to  pass  along  it.  We  then  parted 
company,  and  Dean's  Island  was  made  by  us  the 
next  morning.  After  establishing  our*position,  we 
ran  along  the  northern  shore,  and  reached  its  west 
ern  point  at  4  P.M.  Off  this  point  we  obtained 
sights  for  our  chronometers,  which  put  it  in  lon 
gitude  147°  58'  34"  W.,  latitude  15°  05'  15"  S.  During 
the  day  we  passed  an  entrance  into  its  lagoon,  and 
some  natives  came  off  from  a  small  village  in  two 
canoes  to  visit  us.  They  acknowledged  themselves 
subjects  of  Queen  Pomare  of  Tahiti,  and  were  very 
desirous  we  should  land.  They  brought  off  a  few 
shells,  and  told  us  they  had  many  fowls,  pigs,  taro, 
&c.  There  are  several  islets  in  the  lagoon  covered 
with  trees.  Vast  numbers  of  large  blocks  were  seen 


CHARLES   WILKES.  349 

lying  on  its  reef.  The  shore-reef  is  not  more  than 
two  hundred  feet  wide,  and  is  composed  of  only  one 
shelf.  The  current  was  tried,  but  none  was  found. 
"We  had  the  wind  very  fresh  from  east-by-north  all 
day.  When  off  the  western  point  we  discovered 
Krusenstern's  Island  to  the  west,  and  hauled  up  to 
pass  between  it  and  Nairsa.  The  passage  was  found 
to  be  twelve  and  two-thirds  miles  wide,  and  free 
from  all  danger.  In  the  evening  I  stood  for  Metia 
Island,  to  the  southward.  !N"airsa  or  Dean's  Island 
was  found  to  be  sixty-six  miles  in  length. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  September  we 
were  in  sight  of  Metia  or  Aurora  Island,  the  north 
end  of  which  is  in  latitude  15°  49'  35"  S.,  longitude 
148°  13'  15"  W.  It  was  totally  different  in  appear 
ance  from  those  we  had  met  with,  though  evidently 
of  the  same  formation.  It  was  a  coral  island  up 
lifted,  exposing  its  formation  distinctly,  and  as  such 
was  very  interesting.  On  approaching  its  eastern 
end,  I  sounded  at  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
from  its  perpendicular  cliff,  and  found  no  bottom 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms  of  line.  The 
cliff  appeared  worn  into  caverns.  We  landed  close 
in  its  neighborhood,  and,  on  measuring  its  height, 
it  proved  to  be  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  The 
coral  shelf  was  found  to  be  five  hundred  feet  in 
width,  extending  on  the  north  side  of  the  island, 

30 


350  CHARLES   WILKES. 

and  gradually  diminishing  in  width  until  it  loses 
itself  at  the  western  end.  This  island  has  all  the 
features  that  one  would  naturally  be  led  to  expect 
from  a  low  island  uplifted.  The  north,  east,  and 
west  sides  present  a  perpendicular  cliff  or  wall ;  but 
this  character  does  not  prevail  on  the  south  side, 
although  it  has  some  high  knolls.  The  north  ridge 
is  nearly  level,  and  there  is  a  break  through  it  (by 
which  we  ascended  to  its  top)  very  much  like  the 
opening  of  a  lagoon.  The  north  side  is  concave, 
and  there  is  found  within  the  indentations  between 
its  two  points  an  extensive  inclined  plane  composed 
of  large  masses  of  limestone  and  vegetable  mould, 
on  which  the  village  is  situated,  in  a  luxuriant  grove 
of  bread-fruit,  cocoanut,  pandanas,  and  other  trees, 
similar  to  those  already  spoken  of  as  seen  on  the 
other  islands.  There  were  several  copious  springs ; 
but  the  natives  informed  me  that  there  were  no 
running  streams  on  the  island. 

"The  natives  all  seemed  delighted  to  see  us, 
crowding  around  my  boat  and  assisting  to  haul  it 
up:  men,  women,  and  children  flocked  around  us.; 
all  the  population  were  gathered,  to  the  number  of 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty.  We  were  at  once 
invited  to  the  chiefs  and  native  missionary's  house, 
situated  in  the  centre  of  the  village.  The  house 
was  constructed  of  the  bread-fruit  wood  for  a  frame, 


CHARLES  WILKBS.  351 

and  reeds  of  the  wild  sugarcane  for  the  uprights, 
with  interstices  for  the  passage  of  the  air,  and  lining 
of  mats  to  exclude  it  when  required.  It  was  well 
thatched,  and  the  whole  had  a  cool  and  comfortable 
appearance.  Cocoanuts  were  soon  "brought  us,  and 
all  our  questions  were  answered  with  an  alacrity 
and  pleasure  that  showed  their  strong  desire  to 
oblige  and  assist  us." 


CHAPTER  IV. 

RESEARCHES  -AT  TAHITI,  AND  DISCOVERY  OF  THE  ANT 
ARCTIC  CONTINENT. 

ON  the  12th  of  September,  the  expedition  reached 
the  island  of  Tahiti.  The  ships  were  soon  sur 
rounded  with  a  multitude  of  canoes  filled  with  all 
the  products  of  the  island,  including  poultry,  pigs, 
taro,  bananas,  yams,  cocoanuts,  apples,  and  oranges. 
Many  women  also  occupied  the  canoes,  whose  ap 
pearance  was  attractive,  but  whose  morals  were  loose 
in  the  extreme.  The  presence  of  Christian  mis 
sionaries-  at  Tahiti  has  accomplished  but  little 
toward  resisting  the  demoralizing  effect  of  Christian 
commerce ;  and  the  utmost  licentiousness  prevails 
among  the  women  of  the  island.  Captain  Wilkes 
established  an  observatory  at  Point  Yenus,  for  the 
purpose  of  making  scientific  observations.  Pomare, 
the  sovereign  of  the  group,  visited  the  squadron 
during  its  sojourn  near  his  dominions.  Captain 
Wilkes  held  some  interviews  with  him  and  the 

352 


CHARLES  WILKES.  353 

leading  chiefs,  and  succeeded  in  establishing  a  com 
mercial  treaty  with  them,  which  was  calculated  to 
prove  highly  advantageous  to  both  nations. 

Leaving  Tahiti  on  the  10th  of  October,  the  squa 
dron  still  steered  westward.  On  the  27th  of  Novem 
ber  they  touched  the  coast  of  New  Holland,  or  New 
South  Wales.  As  no  duties  of  importance  devolved 
upon  the  officers  of  the  squadron  here,  except  to 
obtain  a  fresh  supply  of  provisions,  they  sailed  from 
the  port  of  Sidney  on  the  26th  of  December,  for  the 
purpose  of  entering  on  their  Antarctic  cruise.  Soon 
they  encountered  the  drifting  ice,  and  passed  several 
icebergs  which  were  a  mile  in  circumference.  On 
the  19th  of  January,  1840,  the  most  important 
achievement  of  the  expedition  was  accomplished,  in 
the  discovery  of  a  new  continent,  situated  about  two 
thousand  miles  south  of  Australia ;  which  the  heroic 
commander  explored  for  a  distance  of  seventeen 
hundred  miles  from  east  to  west,  comprising  the 
most  extensive  land  yet  known  in  that  quarter  of 
the  globe.  It  is  a  .remarkable  circumstance  that, 
on  the  very  same  day,  a  portion  of  the  same  coast 
was  seen  by  Commodore  D'Urville,  commanding 
the  French  Exploring  Expedition,  composed  of  the 
corvettes  Astrolobe  and  Zelee.  That  vast  and  still- 
unexplored  region  is  termed  the  Antarctic  Conti 
nent  ;  and  it  seems  chiefly  to  be  one  immense  mass 

X  30* 


354  CHARLES    WILKES. 

of  frozen  earth,  whose  extreme  limits  very  probably 
repose  upon  the  Southern  Pole. 

On  the  25th  of  January,  Captain  Wilkes  landed 
on  the  solid  ice  of  the  continent,  and  took  some 
magnetic  observations.  He  still  steered  southward. 
Sometimes  the  coast  seemed  to  rise  several  thousand 
feet  in  height.  Ledges  of  volcanic  rock  were  dis 
tinctly  seen.  The  cold  now  became  intense,  and 
the  navigation  extremely  difficult  and  dangerous. 
On  the  12th  of  February  a  range  of  mountains  was 
discovered  in  the  distance,  covered  with  snow.  The 
barriers  of  ice  which  hugged  the  land  rendered  it 
impossible  to  reach  the  shore.  Captain  Wilkes 
continued  to  sail  along  this  unknown  and  frozen 
continent,  without  being  able  to  land,  until  the  21st 
of  February;  when  the  severity  of  the  weather,  the 
increasing  sickness  of  the  crews  from  exposure,  and 
the  apparent  fruitlessness  of  a  farther  advance,  in 
duced  him  to  give  the  order  to  return.  The  squa 
dron  re-entered  the  port  of  Sidney  on  the  llth  of 
March  ensuing. 

After  a  short  delay,  the  voyage  was  continued  to 
!N"ew  Zealand,  which  was  in  part  explored  and  sur 
veyed  ;  after  which,  on  the  6th  of  May,  one  of  the 
southern  islands  of  the  Feejee  group  was  first  dis 
covered.  These  islands  are  inhabited  by  some  of 
the  most  savage  and  degraded  specimens  of  the 


CHARLES   WILKES.  355 

human  race.  Their  color  is  nearly  black;  and  they 
are  entirely  naked,  with  the  exception  of  a  band 
around  their  loins  and  head.  They  possess  no 
wealth,  and  to  them  a  whale's  tooth  is  the  most 
inestimable  of  treasures. 

Captain  "Wilkes  and  his  officers  explored  the  in 
terior  of  the  island  of  Ovolau.  They  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  summit  of  Andulong,  the  highest 
mountain  in  the  group;  and  they  made  many  inte 
resting  discoveries  in  the  botany  and  mineralogy  of 
the  country.  The  name  of  the  king  was  Janoa, 
whose  power  was  absolute  and  despotic.  On  one 
occasion  the  royal  savage  visited  the  flag-ship 
together  with  several  of  his  chiefs.  He  was  at  first 
offended  because  he  was  not  received  with  a  salute ; 
but  his  anger  was  afterward  propitiated. 

In  the  progress  of  several  weeks,  all  the  largest 
islands  of  the  Feejee  group  were  visited  and  sur 
veyed.  The  officers  were  unmolested  by  the  natives 
until  on  the  24th  of  July,  when  Lieutenant  Under 
wood  and  Midshipman  Henry  were  murdered  in 
cold  blood  on  the  island  Malolo-leon. 

Captain  "Wilkes  determined  to  punish  the  savages 
with  the  utmost  severity.  By  his  orders  eighty 
men  landed  on  the  island,  who  attacked  the  fortified 
village.  This  was  soon  set  on  fire  and  burned.  A 
large  number  were  slain,  and  the  remainder  of  the 


356  CHARLES    WILKES. 

inhabitants  fled  into  the  interior.  The  next  day  a 
deputation  of  several  old  men  was  sent  to  crave  the 
pardon  of  the  offended  foreigners  "by  whom  they 
had  been  so  severely  chastised.  Their  petition  was 
granted  on  condition  that  they  would  supply  the 
squadron  with  provisions  and  water,  which  they 
willingly  agreed  to  do. 

Having  sailed  from  these  dark  abodes  of  human 
ferocity  and  abasement,  Captain  Wilkes  continued 
his  cruise  and  reached  the  Sandwich  Islands  on  the 
30th  of  September.  These  are  inhabited  by  a  much 
nobler  race,  possessing  graceful  and  athletic  forms, 
and  minds  of  superior  intelligence.  The  well-known 
capital  is  Honolulu.  The  peculiarities  of  this  group 
are  so  familiar  to  every  reader,  that  it  is  unnecessary 
to  dwell  on  any  details,  except  such  as  may  be 
directly  connected  with  the  expedition.  The  inte 
rior  and  the  shore  of  the  island  of  Oahoo  were 
explored  and  surveyed.  Hawaii  was  subjected  to  a 
similar  scrutiny.  The  great  volcano  of  the  Mount 
Kilauea  was  examined.  The  observations  and  ad 
ventures  of  the  party  at  this  spot  are  thus  described : 

"  It  is  remarkable  that  this  crater  should  present 
an  external  aspect  so  entirely  dissimilar  to  that  of 
Etna  and  Vesuvius,  or  any  of  the  volcanoes  of  South 
America.  Those  are  characterized  .by  an  elevated 
cone,  out  of  which  are  ejected  igneous  rocks  and 


CHARLES   WILKES.  357 

ashes.  Kilauea,  on  the  contrary,  is  an  immense 
depression  in  the  midst  of  a  vast  plain,  with  nothing 
to  warn  you  of  a  near  approach  but  the  signs  which 
I  have  before  spoken  of. 

"  "We  now  directed  our  course  toward  the  cluster 
of  shanties  erected  on  the  brim  of  the  crater  by 
Captain  "Wilkes's  party,  which  we  soon  reached, 
and  found  one  occupied  by  Dr.  Pickering,  who  came 
round  by  the  sea-shore.  The  remaining  shanties 
were  in  the  possession  of  about  fifty  natives,  who 
had  come  from  a  town  near  the  coast  to  take  away 
a  large  canoe  which  they  had  made  in  the  neighbor 
ing  wood  some  time  previous. 

"  After  supper  we  proceeded  in  company  with  Dr. 
Pickering  to  a  place  about  half  a  mile  to  the  east 
ward  of  the  shanties,  to  obtain  a  view  of  a  small 
crater  which  was  represented  to  be  unusually  active. 
"We  could  not  possibly  have  selected  a  more  eligible 
position.  "We  stood  on  a  pile  of  rocks  which  com 
manded  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  fiery  lake.  It  was 
several  thousand  feet  in  circumference,  and  nearly 
round  in  form.  The  color  of  its  burning  contents 
was  that  of  a  cherry-red  or  deep  crimson,  and  it 
was  in  a  state  of  terrific  ebullition.  Sometimes  the 
fiery  fluid  was  ejected  many  feet  into  the  air;  at 
other  times  it  was  seen  to  overflow  the  edges  on  the 
circumjacent  lava  for  many  yards  distant.  We 


358  CHAULES   WILKES. 

continued  to  gaze  upon  the  scene  about  an  Lour, 
and  then  returned  to  our  lodgings,  where  we  soon 
had  opportunity  of  observing  another  phenomenon 
of  a  character  not  less  grand  and  splendid.  We 
were  reclining  on  our  mats,  with  our  eyes  directed 
toward  the  largest  of  the  lakes,  when  a  portion  of 
the  bank  forming  one  of  its  sides  was  seen  to  give 
way  and  fall  into  the  liquid  lava  beneath  with  a 
frightful  crash.  The  whole  surface  was  in  the  most 
violent  agitation;  billows  were  formed  as  high 
apparently  as  any  we  had  ever  seen  on  the  ocean, 
and  dashed  against  the  side  of  the  crater  with  such 
violence  as  to  throw  the  fiery  spray  sixty  or  seventy 
feet  high.  The  sight  of  this  spectacle  alone  would 
have  repaid  us  for  the  trouble  of  coming  thus  far. 
"When  the  surface  of  the  fiery  stream  became  quies 
cent  again,  we  wrapped  ourselves  in  our  blankets 
and  sought  repose. 

"  When  breakfast  was  over,  we  proceeded  to  visit 
the  bottom  of  the  crater.  After  a  brief  walk  in  the 
direction  of  the  Sulphur  Springs,  we  turned  to  the 
left,  and  suddenly  commenced  descending  by  a  steep 
and  rugged  path :  columns  of  vapors  smelling 
strongly  of  sulphur  were  issuing  from  crevices  and 
pits  lining  either  side  of  the  road.  We  estimated 
some  of  the  latter  to  be  upward  of  two  hundred 
feet  in  depth.  After  a  descent  of  about  one-quarter 


CHARLES   WILKES.  359 

of  a  mile,  we  passed  on  our  right  a  crater  which 
bore  unmistakable  signs  of  having  long  since 
become  extinct:  it  was  everywhere  covered  with 
shrubbery  and  trees  of  considerable  dimensions. 
Another  walk  of  about  fifteen  minutes  brought  us 
to  what  is  called  the  l  Ledge.'  It  was  not  until 
then  that  we  formed  an  adequate  idea  of  the  magni 
tude  and  sublimity  of  this  wonderful  crater.  On 
whichsoever  side  we  cast  our  eyes,  we  beheld  a  wall 
of  solid  lava  of  a  thousand  feet  or  more  in  altitude, 
and  from  six  to  seven  miles  in  circumference.  This 
ledge  surrounds  the  crater,  thus  forming  a  kind  of 
natural  gallery  several  hundred  yards  in  width. 
The  surface  is  but  little  broken,  and  presents  a  uni 
form  appearance,  being  of  a  dark  brown  or  iron 
color." 


CHAPTEE  Y. 

TERMINATION  OF  THE  EXPEDITION — CONTROVERSY  WITH 
COLONEL  FREMONT. 

HAVING  completed  his  surveying  and  exploring 
duties  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  Captain  Wilkes 
sailed,  on  the  5th  of  April,  for  the  northwestern 
coast  of  America.  Passing  the  mouth  of  the  Colum 
bia  River,  he  soon  reached  Port  Discovery.  The 
memhers  of  the  expedition  here  first  came  in  con 
tact  with  the  aboriginal  tribes  of  North  America,  a 
far  noble*r,  manlier,  and  bolder  race  than  any  whom 
they  had  heretofore  encountered.  The  harbor  was 
carefully  surveyed.  Thence  they  proceeded  to 
Nisqually  Sound  and  afterward  to  Grey's  Harbor. 
From  Astoria  and  Fort  Vancouver  the  overland 
expedition  to  California,  consisting  of  a  portion  of 
the  expedition,  commenced  to  explore  the  country 
as  far  as  the  Shasta  Mountains ;  thence  they  returned 
to  the  squadron  by  a  different  route.  They  thus 
traversed  the  vast  tracts  of  Oregon  Territory  and 
Upper  California.  On  the  24th  of  October  the 
overland  party  reached  San  Francisco:  the  squa- 

360 


CHARLES   WILKES.  361 

dron  had  entered  that  port  a  short  time  previous. 
Throughout  all  this  immense  region,  both  of  the 
interior  and  of  the  Pacific  coast,  the  most  careful 
and  valuable  surveys  were  made  by  the  various 
members  of  the  expedition  to  whom  those  several 
duties  had  been  assigned. 

Only  one  portion  of  this  protracted  and  arduous 
expedition  yet  remained  to  be  completed.  On  the 
25th  of  October  Captain  Wilkes  sailed  from  San 
Francisco  to  the  East  Indies.  On  the  19th  of  No 
vember  the  ships  again  touched  at  Honolulu,  in 
order  to  replenish  their  provisions.  On  the  22d  of 
January,  1842,  they  reached  Singapore.  On  this 
island  various  surveys  and  treaties  occupied  the 
attention  of  the  commander  for  some  time.  After 
the  sojourn  of  a  month  the  squadron  again  weighed 
anchor  and  steered  for  its  final  return  to  the  United 
States.  The  expedition  terminated  on  the  3d  of 
July,  1842,  when  its  ships  re-entered  the  port  of 
New  York, — having  been  absent,  in  the  prosecution 
of  its  diversified,  important, .  and  difficult  duties, 
during  the  period  of  nearly  five  eventful  years.  Its 
success  had  been  most  complete ;  and  the  additions 
which  were  made  by  its  able  commander,  and  his 
efficient  officers  and  assistants,  to  the  existing  stores 
of  knowledge  in  various  departments  of  science, 
will  long  remain  a  monument,  more  enduring  than 

31 


362  CHARLES   WILKES. 

one  of  brass,  to  their  genius,  their  perseverance,  and 
their  heroism. 

In  the  year  1848,  Captain  Wilkes  became  involved 
in  a  public  controversy  with  Colonel  Fremont,  in 
reference  to  the  accuracy  of  some  of  his  explora 
tions  of  the  Gulf  and  coast  of  California.  The 
origin  of  the  dispute  arose  from  the  fact  that  a 
vessel  had  been  wrecked  upon  that  coast  in  conse 
quence  of  an  error  in  the  charts  then  in  use.  Colo 
nel  Benton,  of  Missouri,  having  read  an  account  of 
that  calamity,  addressed  a  letter  to  the  editors  of  the 
National  Intelligencer  at  Washington,  asserting  that 
Colonel  Fremont  had  by  his  surveys  already  detected 
the  error  and  would  correct  it  in  his  map  of  Oregon 
and  Upper  California,  then  in  course  of  preparation. 
This  letter  elicited  a  reply  from  Captain  Wilkes, 
which  led  to  a  subsequent  discussion  between  him 
and  Colonel  Fremont,  which  possesses  a  permanent 
value  and  interest,  not  only  from  the  scientific  in 
formation  which  it  contains,  but  also  from  the  fact 
of  its  connection  with  two  of  the  most  distinguished 
of  American  explorers.  The  nature  of  the  contro 
versy  was  clearly  stated  in  Captain  Wilkes's  first 
letter,  which  was  inserted  in  the  National  Intelli 
gencer  of  June  8,  1848 ;  with  which  we  conclude 
the  present  essay. 

"  MESSRS.  GALES  &  SEATON  : — On  my  return  to  tho 


CHARLES  WILKES.  363 

city  after  a  few  weeks'  absence,  jour  paper  of  the 
15th  of  May,  containing  some  remarks  on  the  errors 
existing  in  the  charts  of  the  northwest  coast  of 
California,  by  Colonel  Benton,  was  brought  to  my 
notice.  Although  I  have  no  desire  to  detract  from 
any  one,  yet  I  think  it  due  to  others,  as  well  as  to 
the  United  States  Exploring  Expedition,  to  place 
the  following  facts  before  the  public  respecting  the 
errors  which  did  exist  in  the  longitude  of  this  coast, 
the  '  discovery'  of  which  is  now  claimed  to  have  been 
first  made,  and  the  errors  corrected,  by  Colonel 
Fremont,  through  a  series  of  astronomical  observa 
tions  across  the  continent. 

"Shortly  after  the  publication  of  Vancouver's 
charts  in  1798,  errors  were  suspected  to  exist  in 
them,  (his  points  were  determined  by  lunar  observa 
tions  and  several  chronometers,  which  latter  per 
formed  but  indifferently ;  and  from  these  his  results 
were  obtained,)  from  a  difference  which  was  found 
between  him  and  the  Spanish  surveying-vessels 
employed  at  the  same  time  on  the  coast  of  Califor 
nia.  The  amount  of  error  was  not,  however,  truly 
ascertained  until  some  years  after  this,  when  Captain 
Beechey,  of  H.B.M.  ship  the  Blossom,  visited  this 
coast  in  1826.  His  observations  were  confirmed  by 
Captain  Sir  Edward  Belcher,  in  H.B.M.  surveying- 
ship  the  Sulphur,  in  1835;  and  it  was  again  con- 


364  CHARLES   WILKES. 

firmed  by  the  United  States  Exploring  Expedition 
in  1841. 

"  These  corrections  were  all  made  on  the  general 
charts  published  by  order  of  Congress  in  1844,  from 
the  surveys  and  examinations  of  the  Exploring  Ex 
pedition,  and  have  been  in  possession  of  our  ships 
navigating  the  Pacific  Ocean  since  that  time. 

"By  comparing  dates,  it  will  be  perceived  that 
these  4  discoveries'  were  known  long  since,  and  that 
the  actual  amount  of  error  was  ascertained  some 
twenty  years  ago  by  both  the  English  and  French 
expeditions,  and  were  published  by  our  own  Govern 
ment,  in  the  results  of  the  Exploring  Expedition,  a 
year  prior  to  the  earliest  date  claimed  by  Colonel 
Benton  as  the  time  when  the  observations  of 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Fremont  were  made. 

"With  great  respect,  I  am,  yours,"  &c. 


PART  Y. 

MATTHEW  C.  PERRY 


CHAPTER  I. 

ORIGIN   AND   AIMS    OF    THE   EXPEDITION   TO   JAPAN. 

THE  acquisition  of  the  rich  and  extensive  terri 
tory  of  California,  as  already  narrated,  brought  the 
extreme  western  domains  of  the  United  States  into 
direct  contact  with  those  of  the  Japanese  Empire ; 
for  the  expanse  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  rendered  in 
significant  by  the  power  of  steam,  alone  divided 
them.  Both  Countries  possessed  interests  of  great 
importance,  which  would  be  mutually  and  perma 
nently  promoted  by  a  treaty  of  commerce  between 
them.  Commodore  Perry,  who  had  previously  be 
come  distinguished  in  the  service  of  the  United 
States,  and  had  proved  himself  worthy  to  bear  a 
name  which  was  already  illustrious  in  the  annals  of 
the  naval  achievements  of  the  country,  was  among 
the  first  to  perceive  and  to  proclaim  the  immense 
importance  of  establishing  an  alliance  between  the 

31*  365 


366  MATTHEW   C.  PERRY. 

two  countries.  To  him  the  high  honor  is  due  of 
having  first  proposed  its  accomplishment  to  the 
United  States  Government,  as  well  as  the  greater 
praise  of  having  finally  effected  a  result  and  achieved 
a  triumph  which  were  in  the  highest  degree  difficult 
and  problematical,  and  at  the  same  time  most  bene 
ficial  and  advantageous.  The  United  States  are 
among  the  richest  portions  of  the  globe  in  their 
natural  products,  in  the  results  of  mechanical  skill, 
in  arts,  in  sciences,  in  mineral  wealth,  in  manu 
factures,  and  in  every  thing  which  invites  and  re 
munerates  the  commercial  intercourse  of  nations. 
Japan  is  provided  with  an  abundance  of  coal,  rice, 
and  many  other  natural  and  some  mineral  products; 
but  the  consideration  of  chief  moment  in  view  of 
which  a  treaty  was  desirable  was,  because  American 
steamers  in  sailing  to  the  remoter  countries  of  Asia, 
found  it  extremely  inconvenient  andt  expensive  to 
convey  with  them  the  necessary  amount  of  fuel  for 
so  many  thousands  of  miles ;  while  the  difficulty 
might  be  obviated  by  the  establishment  of  an  ar 
rangement  with  the  Japanese  whereby  American 
ships  would  be  permitted,  in  opposition  to  the  ex 
clusive  policy  which  that  country  has  pursued 
toward  foreigners  for  many  ages,  to  obtain  coal, 
provisions,  and  water  at  one  of  the  most  convenient 
ports  of  the  Empire. 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  367 

Great  difficulties  impeded  the  accomplishment  of 
this  desirable  result.  Many  other  nations  had  in 
vain  solicited  the  alliance  of  the  Japanese,  and  had 
attempted  to  secure  an  entrance  into  an  empire 
which  had  been  hermetically  sealed  to  all  foreigners, 
except  to  the  Dutch  alone,  during  many  past  cen 
turies.  Yet  Commodore  Perry  not  only  undertook 
the  task  which  so  many  had  failed  in  accomplish 
ing,  but  he  crowned  his  bold  and  persevering  efforts 
with  the  most  'complete  success. 

The  intentions  of  the  American  Government  in 
reference  to  this  expedition  were  originally  magnifi 
cent.  Its  design  was  to  send  out  at  least  twelve 
war-steamers,  under  the  command  of  Commodore 
Perry ;  thus  laboring  to  secure  success  in  a  very 
doubtful  enterprise  by  making  an  imposing  demon 
stration  of  naval  and  military  power.  After  tfcie 
delay  of  nearly  a  year,  a  single  vessel,  the  steamer 
Mississippi,  was  the  only  one  which  the  Govern 
ment  was  'disposed  to  appropriate  to  this  purpose, 
although  other  vessels  were  destined  to  follow,  and 
some  which  were  then  cruising  elsewhere  were 
ordered  to  join  the  commander  at  the  scene  of  his 
negotiations.  Commodore  Perry  sailed  from  Nor 
folk  on  the  24th  of  November,  1852,  and  arrived  at 
Madeira  after  a  rapid  voyage  of  seventeen  days. 
On  the  3d  of  January,  the  ship  crossed  the  line ; 


368  MATTHEW   C.  PERKY. 

and  six  days  afterward  she  touched  at  St.  Helena. 
From  this  celebrated  island,  made  memorable  bv 
the  singular  misfortunes  and  the  bitter  curses  of  the 
most  remarkable  man  of  modern  times,  Commodore 
Perry  proceeded  on  his  voyage,  and  reached  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  on  the  24th  of  January,  1853. 
The  vessel  touched  during  its  progress  at  Mauritius, 
Ceylon,  and  Singapore ;  all  of  which  places  lay  on 
the  great  mail-route  between  India,  China,  Aus 
tralia,  and  Europe. 

On  the  6th  of  April,  Commodore  Perry  reached 
Macao.  At  Hong-Kong,  on  the  succeeding  day,  he 
was  joined  by  the  United  States  sloops-of-war  Ply 
mouth  and  Saratoga,  together  with  the  store-ship 
Supply.  The  Susquehanna,  a  member  of  the  in 
tended  squadron,  had  not  yet  made  her  appearance. 
Hong-Kong  is  one  of  the  most  active  ports  in  the 
Chinese  Empire;  and  here  the  busy  votaries  of 
commerce  from  almost  every  portion  of  the  globe 
may  be  found,  eagerly  engaged  in  their  respective 
trades.  Commodore  Perry  visited  Canton,  a  vast 
and  crowded  hive  of  human  population  and  misery. 
Thence  he  proceeded,  after  a  short  delay,  to  Shanghai, 
another  great  commercial  city  of  the  Celestial  Em 
pire,  whose  commerce,  especially  with  the  interior 
provinces  of  China,  is  immense.  Here  the  squadron 
was  joined  by  the  absent  Susquehanna. 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  369 

On  the  26th  of  May,  Commodore  Perry  reached 
the  Lew-Chew  Islands.  They  lay  before  him  upon 
the  bosom  of  the  tranquil  deep,  like  fruitful  gardens 
surrounded  by  the  placid  waters  of  a  lake,  and 
adorned  with  all  the  rich  luxuriance  of  a  tropical 
clime.  It  was  a  portion  of  the  instructions  which 
had  been  given  by  Government  to  the  commander 
of  this  expedition  that  he  should  establish  a  separate 
treaty  of  commerce  with  these  islands,  which  were 
not  only  of  considerable  importance  in  themselves, 
but  which  also  acquired  a  still  greater  consequence 
from  their  position  on  the  great  East  India  route. 
Here  a  solitary  representative  of  civilization  already 
existed,  in  the  person  of  Dr.  Bettleheim,  a  converted 
Jew,  who  had  been  sent  out  by  a  missionary  society 
in  England  to  convert  the  natives  to  Christianity; 
but  who,  after  eight  years  of  residence  and  en 
deavor  had  not  secured  a  single  proselyte. 

A  friendly  intercourse  was  immediately  esta 
blished  between  the  squadron  and  the  harmless  and 
hospitable  inhabitants  of  the  island.  The  name  of 
the  chief  town  is  ISTapha;  and  this  spot  was  the  re 
sidence  of  a  mysterious  person,  who  was  the  heir- 
apparent  to  the  throne,  but  whose  authority  during 
the  period  of  his  alleged  minority  was  exercised  by 
a  regent.  After  various  negotiations  had  taken 
place  between  subordinate  agents  on  both  sides,  an 


370  MATTHEW   C.  PERKY. 

interview  occurred  on  the  30th  of  May,  1853,  be 
tween  the  regent  in  person  and  the  commodore,  on 
board  his  flag-ship,  the  Susquehanna.  The  former 
was  attended  by  about  twenty  of  the  chief  men  of  the 
island.  The  visitors  were  handsomely  entertained, 
and  then  informed  of  the  purpose  of  the  commo 
dore's  visit.  It  was  simply  at  that  time  to  obtain 
supplies  of  fresh  provisions.  The  truth  was,  that 
Commodore  Perry  had  resolved  to  postpone  until  a 
later  period  the  accomplishment  of  his  chief  purpose 
in  reference  to  these  islands, — the  arrangement  of  a 
commercial  treaty.  The  sailors  were  allowed  on 
the  next  day  to  visit  the  shore;  'and  some  of  the 
officers  embraced  the  opportunity  to  explore  the 
interior  and  more  remote  portions  of  the  island. 
There  they  passed  through  scenes  of  the  most  in 
viting  natural  loveliness;  they  traversed  hills,  plains, 
and  dales  loaded  with  the  most  luscious  and  luxuriant 
fruits  of  the  earth  ;  they  saw  the  simple  and  kindly 
inhabitants,  shut  out  from  all  the  sinister  influences 
and  the  baser  pursuits  of  civilized  life,  happily  pass 
ing  their  existence  in  comfort,  in  innocence,  in  re 
pose,  and  in  the  fruition  of  that  propitious  ignorance 
which  is  sometimes  man's  highest  and  purest  bliss. 
One  party  from  the  ships  spent  a  whole  week,  un 
disturbed,  exploring  the  interior  of  the  island. 
The  Lew-Chew  Islands  are  thirty-six  in  number: 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  371 

but  the  researches  of  the  commodore's  officers  were 
confined  to  the  Great  Lew-Chew  Island,  on  which 
the  regent  resided.  This  is  forty  miles  in  length, 
and  nearly  half  of  it  was  explored.  Generally  the 
inhabitants  fled  from  the  presence  of  the  intruders 
as  soon  as  they  discovered  their  approach.  On 
th'e  6th  of  June,  the  commodore  returned  the  visit 
of  state  which  he  had  received  from  the  regent. 
He  was  accompanied  by  a  gay  retinue  of  tars  and 
officers,  two  hundred  in  number,  by  two  field-pieces, 
by  martial  music,  and  by  other  demonstrations  of 
greatness.  Hundreds  of  the  simple  natives  crowded 
around  the  novel  procession,  and  viewed  it  with 
mingled  wonder  and  admiration.  Beautiful  gardens 
and  rich  rice-fields  surrounded  the  road  which  led 
to  the  palace  at  Napha.  These  islanders  are  civilized, 
and  possess  the  same  degree  of  intelligence  and 
cultivation  as  the  Chinese  and  the  Japanese.  The 
occasion,  therefore,  was  one  of  no  mean  importance. 
The  commodore,  having  arrived  at  the  palace  of 
the  regent,  was  ushered  into  a  hall  of  respectable 
proportions,  which  was  soon  filled  by  a  throng  of 
native  officials  arrayed  in  gay  and  flowing  robes. 
Each  of  these  was  furnished  with  a  fan,  which  the 
heat  of  the  atmosphere  called  into  constant  use.  A 
ceremonious  exchange  of  compliments  then  ensued, 
which  was  followed  by  a  friendly  conversation. 


372  MATTHEW   C.  PERRY. 

Then  came  a  feast,  at  which  the  visitors  were  enter 
tained  with  the  choicest  viands  which  the  island 
produced.  The  banquet  consisted  of  twelve  courses, 
during  the  progress  of  which  much  diverting  con 
verse  and  some  complimentary  toasts  were  indulged 
in.  When  the  entertainment  was  finished,  the 
commodore  extended  an  invitation  to  his  host  to 
visit  him  on  board  his  ship ;  and  then  returned  to  it. 
These  civilities  were  of  more  importance  than  might 
at  first  sight  appear,  because  they  prepared  the  way 
for  the  arrangement  of  the  amicable  treaty  which 
was  subsequently  consummated  between  the  parties. 
On  the  9th  of  June,  Commodore  Perry  sailed  for 
the  Bonin  Islands.  These  are  situated  about  five 
hundred  miles  southeast  of  Japan,  and  eight  hun 
dred  from  the  Lew- Chew  Islands.  Captain  Beechey 
took  possession  of  them  in  182T,  in  the  name  of 
the  British  monarch,  although  no  further  steps  had 
ever  been  taken  to  confirm  the  title  or  establish  the 
authority  of  England  there.  The  object  of  Com 
modore  Perry's  visit  was  to  ascertain  the  fitness 
of  the  islands  as  a  naval  depot,  and  as  a  place  of 
stoppage  for  whalers  and  steamers.  Having  ob 
tained  the  necessary  information  and  taken  the 'pre 
liminary  steps  to  accomplish  this  purpose,  Commo 
dore  Perry  returned  with  his  squadron  again  to  the 
Lew-Chew  Islands. 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  373 

The  negotiations  which  the  commodore  here  re 
sumed  having  for  the  present  been  concluded,  he 
sailed  on  the  2d  of  July,  1853,  for  the  chief  ohject 
and  terminus  of  the  expedition, — the  comparatively 
unknown  and  mysterious  Empire  of  Japan.  On  the 
morning  of  the  7th  inst.,  the  first  distant  glimpse  was 
gained  of  its  precipitous  coast ;  for  then  the  bold 
promontory  of  Idzu  hove  in  sight,  rising  loftily  and 
abruptly  from  the  waves,  and  stretching  back  in  a 
long  line  of  mountainous  elevations  to  the  eastward. 
The  squadron  now  steered  directly  for  the  entrance  of 
the  Bay  of  Jeddo,  Commodore  Perry  having  resolved 
to  approach  the  capital  at  once,  and  thus  boldly  to 
plough  with  his  vessels  those  very  waters  which 
had  never  before  been  invaded  by  the  presence  of  a 
foreigner.  Here  was  to  be  accomplished  the  most 
difficult  and  most  important  purpose  of  the  expe 
dition  ;  a  purpose  which  no  other  nation  had  been 
able  to  effect  in  modern  times  with  but  one  ex 
ception. 

Jeddo,  the  seat  of  the  ruling  power  and  the  real 
capital  of  Japan,  lies  at  the  head  of  a  deep  bay  on  the 
eastern  coast  of  Niphon,  and  at  the  mouth  of  one 
of  the  few  rivers  of  the  Empire  which  possess  any 
considerable  magnitude.  It  is  seven  miles  long  and 
five  broad,  and  contains  many  palaces  of  the  great 
lords;  all  of  whom  must  reside  in  it  for  a  large  part 


374  MATTHEW   C.  PERRY. 

of  the  year.  These  mansions  are  surrounded  by 
wide  enclosed  courts  and  extensive  gardens ;  yet  they 
cannot  be  said  to  possess  much  architectural  gran 
deur,  since  they  are  only  one  story  high :  the  walls 
are  of  clay,  the  partitions  of  paper,  and  are  adorned 
merely  with  paintings,  varnishing,  and  fine  mats 
spread  on  the  floor.  The  imperial  palace  however, 
though  equally  low,  is  built  of  freestone,  and  is  five 
miles  in  circumference,  including  a  wide  exterior 
area  occupied  by  the  spacious  mansions  of  the  here 
ditary  princes  and  chief  lords  of  the  court.  Its  grand 
apartment,  the  hall  of  the  thousand  mats,  is  said  to 
be  six  hundred  feet  long  by  three  hundred  broad, 
and  is  brilliantly  adorned  by  pillars  of  cedar,  painted 
papers,  and  gilded  dragons  on  the  roof.  The  city 
is  subject  to  destructive  fires,  one  of  which,  in  1703, 
consumed  one  hundred  thousand  houses.  It  is  the 
seat  of  varied  branches  of  industry,  and  carries  on 
also  an  immense  internal  trade. 

Meaco  is  situated  at  a  considerable  distance  from 
Jeddo,  near  the  southern  extremity  of  Niphon,  and 
a  few  miles  in  the  interior.  This  spiritual  capital 
of  Japan  is  still  the  chief  seat  of  polished  manners, 
of  refined  arts,  and  of  intellectual  culture.  The  finest 
silk  stuffs  flowered  with  gold  and  silver,  the  richest 
varnishes,  the  best  painted  papers,  and  the  most 
skilful  works  in  gold,  silver,  and  copper,  are  hero 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  375 

manufactured.  It  is  likewise  the  centre  of  litera 
ture  and  science,  and  most  of  the  works  which  are 
published  and  read  in  Japan  issue  from  its  presses. 
Although  there  is  here  no  longer  the  means  of  sup 
porting  the  same  display  of  pomp  and  wealth  as  at 
Jeddo,  yet  there  is  a  greater  exhibition  of  architec 
tural  ornament.  The  palace,  or  enclosed  city,  of  the 
spiritual  sovereign  is  on  a  similar  plan;  but  the 
religious  structures,  though  built  of  cedar,  are  some 
of  them  truly  splendid,  being  richly  gilded,  and 
placed  in  the  most  picturesque  and  commanding 
situations.  Ksempfer  calculates  that  there  are,  in 
and  around  Meaco,  not  less  than  three  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  ninety-three  temples,  served  by 
thirty-seven  thousand  and  ninety-three  suikku,  or 
priests.  Of  these  temples  however,  the  greater  part 
are  only  wooden  huts,  and  have  nothing  within  but 
a  looking-glass  and  some  cut  white  paper.  The 
secular  inhabitants  of  the  city,  according  to  the  last 
enumeration,  were  477,000,  and  the  ecclesiastical, 
including  the  court,  52,000 ;  making  a  sum-total  of 
five  hundred  and  twenty-nine  thousand.  Japan  is 
divided  into  eight  provinces  and  sixty-eight  de 
partments.  These  are  governed  by  the  hereditary 
princes  of  the  Empire,  though  frequent  changes  are 
made  according  to  the  weight  of  merit  and  favor. 


376  MATTHEW    C.  PERRY. 

The  hereditary  nobility  are  higher  in  point  of  rank 
than  the  highest  of  the  other  government  officials. 
The  political  capital,  Jeddo,  is  said  to  contain  five 
millions  of  inhabitants  ;  and  if  this  computation  be 
correct,  it  is  the  largest  city  in  the  world. 


CHAPTEE  H. 

PUBLIC    INTERVIEW    BETWEEN    COMMODORE   PERRY  AND 
THE   IMPERIAL    COMMISSIONERS. 

As  the  American  squadron  rapidly  sailed  up  the 
magnificent  Bay  of  Jeddo,  the  imposing  and  novel 
sight  created  the  utmost  astonishment  among  the 
inhabitants,  who  crowded  the  shores  on  both  sides. 
Soon  the  placid  waters  were  covered  with  a  host  of 
Japanese  boats,  whose  object  evidently  was  to  impede 
or  arrest  the  progress  of  the  strangers.  A  succession 
of  populous  towns  and  villages,  surrounded  by 
trees,  were  picturesquely  grouped  along  the  shores ; 
and  the  bay  was  filled  with  innumerable  trading- 
junks  which  were  crossing  and  recrossing  the  tran 
quil  waters  in  the  pursuit  of  their  usual  trade.  At 
length  the  commodore's  ships,  having  boldly  steamed 
their  way  to  the  spot  which  he  had  selected  for  his 
anchorage,  through  the  immense  shoals  of  petty 
native  craft  which  vainly  encumbered  his  path, 
moored  safely  off  the  city  of  Uraga.  Immediately 
the  batteries  on  the  shore  fired  two  guns,  and 

rockets  were  sent  into  the  heavens,  for  the  purpose 

32*  877 


378  MATTHEW  C.  PERRY. 

apparently  of  signalizing  the  authorities  at  the 
capital;  whose  extreme  suburbs  could  be  readily 
discovered  by  the  use  of  a  glass  in  the  distance. 
An  immense  fleet  of  government  boats,  each  carry 
ing  a  white  flag  at  the  stern,  adorned  with  a  black 
central  stripe,  and  with  an  immense  tassel  at  the 
bow,  began -to  surround  the  vessels.  These  boats 
cleaved  the  waters  with  great  swiftness,  being  pro 
pelled  by  skilful  oarsmen.  One  of  them  carried  a 
government  dignitary  of  high  rank,  whose  purpose 
it  was  to  inform  the  commander  of  the  squadron 
that  it  was  a  violation  of  their  laws,  which  was 
utterly  unheard-of  and  unpardonable,  for  foreign 
vessels  thus  to  approach  the  very  capital  of  the  Em 
pire  ;  and  to  demand  that  they  should  immediately 
retire  as  far  as  Nagasaki,  in  the  island  of  Kiosu, 
which  was  the  only  place  whence  communications 
would  be  received. 

The  commodore  replied  that  he  could  not  comply 
with  such  demands ;  that  he  bore  a  letter  from  the 
President  of  the  United  States  to  the  Emperor  of 
Japan,  proposing  the  establishment  of  a  commercial 
treaty  between  the  two  countries ;  that  if  the  fleet 
of  native  boats  did  not  immediately  remove  from 
the  vicinity  of  the  squadron,  he  would  disperse 
them  with  his  guns ;  and  that,  if  further  objection 
was  made  to  his"  presence  at  TJraga,  he  would  steam 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  379 

up  directly  to  the  very  gates  of  Jeddo.  Commo 
dore  Perry  had  wisely  determined  at  the  very  outset 
of  his  intercourse  with  the  Japanese  to  assume  the 
tone  of  an  equal,  or  even  of  a  superior,  under  the 
conviction  that  such  a  policy  would  be  most  con 
ducive  to  success.  The  event  proved  the  correctness 
of  his  supposition.  On  leaving  the  flag-ship  the 
Japanese  official  informed  the  American  com 
mander,  that  an  officer  of  higher  rank  would  be 
deputed  to  wait  upon  him  in  reference  to  the  pro 
posals  with  which  he  was  intrusted,  took  a  courteous 
leave,  and,  as  he  descended  the  ship's  side,  ordered 
the  fleets  of  boats  to  disperse.  That  order  was  in 
stantly  obeyed.  The  next  day  the  Governor  of 
Uraga  proceeded  to  visit  the  squadron.  He  was 
richly  dressed  in  figured  silks,  and  wore  two  splen 
did  swords,  as  indicia  of  his  superior  rank.  After  a 
long  audience  with  the  commodore  he  took  his 
departure,  promising  to  refer  his  mission  to  the  im 
perial  government  at  Jeddo,  and  inform  him  as  soon 
as  possible  of  the  result  of  its  deliberations. 

Very  tedious  and  provoking  delays  ensued.  The 
Japanese  officials,  though  frequently  visiting  the 
commodore  on  board  his  ship,  interposed  repeated 
and  frivolous  obstacles  to  the  accomplishment  of 
any  definite  result.  At  length  his  patience  was 
exhausted,  and  the  commodore  informed  Yezaimon, 


380  MATTHEW    C.  PERRY.    . 

the  Governor  of  Uraga,  that  he  would  wait  until 
the  12th  of  July  for  an  opportunity  to  deliver  the 
letter  with  which  he  was  intrusted  to  an  official 
appointed  by  the  imperial  government  to  receive  it; 
and  that,  if  no  person  had  been  designated  by  that 
time  to  receive  it,  he  would  carry  the  letter  in  person 
to  the  palace  in  Jeddo. 

Such  decisive  language  immediately  produced  its 
desired  effect.  Commodore  Perry  was  soon  in 
formed  that  the  14th  of  July  had  been  appointed 
for  the  purpose  of  a  meeting  between  him  and  the 
commissioners  chosen  by  the  Emperor  to  receive  the 
letter.  A  small  village  named  Gorihama,  a  mile 
south  of  Uraga,  was  the  spot  selected  as  the  scene 
of  the  interview.  In  the  mean  time  a  temporary 
edifice  of  pine  wood  was  constructed  for  the  pur 
pose.  White  canvas,  painted  and  adorned  in  vari 
ous  ways,  covered  the  building,  and  extended  a 
considerable  distance  on  both  sides.  'Nine  tall 
standards  of  crimson  cloth,  the  national  colors  of 
Japan,  were  placed  along  the  beach  in  front  of  the 
edifice;  and  five  thousand  native  soldiers  were 
posted  in  battle-array  in  the  rear  at  the  time  of  the 
meeting. 

When  the  14th  arrived,  fifteen  boats  left  the 
American  squadron,  filled  with  officers  and  men. 
Two  Japanese  boats,  carrying  high  officials,  flanked 


.    MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  381 

the  foremost  American  boat,  which  conveyed  the 
officer  who  had  command  of  the  day.  A  tempo 
rary  wharf  had  been  erected  to  facilitate  the  land 
ing.  The  commodore  came  last  of  all,  in  his  state- 
barge.  His  passage  was  greeted  by  a  salute  of 
thirteen  guns  from  his  flag-ship.  On  landing  he 
was  conducted  up  the  beach,  through  two  lines  of 
guards,  to  the  house  of  reception.  The  Americans 
who  followed  him  were  four  hundred  in  number, 
and  made  an  imposing  appearance.  They  were  all 
in  full  uniform  and  armed ;  and  their  vigorous  and 
athletic  forms  presented  quite  a  favorable  contrast 
to  the  effeminate  Japanese  around  them.  The 
box  which  contained  the  letter  of  President  Fill- 
more  to  the  Emperor  was  wrapped  in  a  scarlet 
cloth  envelop ;  and  was  carried  by  two  boys  who 
were  fancifully  dressed  for  the  occasion.  The  letter 
itself  was  somewhat  remarkable.  It  was  written  on 
vellum  of  folio  size,  and  bound  in  blue  silk  velvet, 
^he  seals  were  attached  to  it  by  cords  of  silk  and 
gold,  to  which  gold  tassels  were  appended.  The 
seals  were  encased  in  circular  boxes,  six  inches  in 
diameter  and  three  in  depth,  beautifully  wrought  in 
solid  gold.  The  box  which  contained  the  letter 
was  made  of  rosewood  and  adorned  with  gold. 

The  house  appointed  for  the  meeting  was  hand 
somely   decorated.      The    floor   was    covered   with 


382  MATTHEW  C.  PERRY. 

thick,  soft  mats  of  rice-straw,  while  the  walls  were 
adorned  with  elegant  representations  of  the  crane, 
the  sacred  bird  of  Japan.  Along  the  sides,  divans 
of  red  cloth  were  placed.  An  inner  apartment  was 
fitted  np  with  silk  hangings,  and  adorned  with  the 
imperial  arms,  consisting  of  three  leaves  of  clover 
joined  together  in  a  circle.  The  commodore  and 
his  suite  having  advanced  toward  the  inner  apart 
ment,  they  were  conducted  to  seats  which  had  been 
prepared  for  them  on  the  left,  the  place  of  honor 
among  the  Japanese.  On  the  right  were  seated  the 
two  princes  of  the  empire  who  had  been  appointed 
to  receive  the  letter.  They  were  both  venerable 
men  with  white  beards.  As  the  commodore  en 
tered,  they  rose  and  bowed.  They  were  richly 
dressed,  and  adorned  with  valuable  jewels.  Near 
them  stood  a  large  lacquered  box,  supported  on 
brazen  feet,  destined  to  receive  the  letter  of  the 
President.  All  the  Japanese  who  were  present,  ex 
cept  the  two  princes,  remained  upon  their  knee,s 
during  the  interview. 

The  business  of  the  occasion  commenced  by  the 
imperial  commissioners  asking  whether  the  letter 
and  the  credentials  of  the  envoy  were  ready  for 
delivery.  Commodore  Perry  answered  affirma 
tively;  and  then  ordered  his  two  pages  to  bring 
forward  the  box  containing  the  precious  documents. 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY. 

They  obeyed,  and  placed  it  upon  the  apparatus 
prepared  to  receive  it.  Some  general  compliments 
ensued  between  the  commodore  and  the  imperial 
commissioners ;  and  when  the  former  had  signified 
that  he  would  return  after  the  lapse  of  a  few  months 
to  receive  the  answer  of  the  Japanese  Government 
to  the  letter  of  the  President,  he  bowed  formally, 
and  returned  to  the  ships  with  the  same  ceremony 
with  which  he  came  from  them.  The  demeanor  of 
the  Japanese  princes  and  officials  during  the  inter 
view,  which  was  carried  on  by  means  of  an  inter 
preter,  was  courteous  and  dignified  in  the  extreme ; 
and  that  interview  was  certainly  a  memorable  occa 
sion  in  the  history  of  civilization  and  commerce  in 
modern  times.  Never  before  had  such  a  scene 
occurred.  During  several  centuries  the  representa 
tives  of  many  of  the  nations  of  Europe  had  in 
vain  solicited  such  an  honor.  Every  overture  had 
been  repelled  with  inexorable  rigor.  In  this  in 
stance,  however,  the  emissary  of  the  United  States, 
upon  the  first  application  for  an  audience,  had  been 
received  with  ceremonial  and  respectful  state,  and 
two  of  the  highest  princes  of  the  empire  had  been 
deputed  to  confer  with  him.  This  favorable  result 
was  wholly  due  to  the  sagacious  and  determined 
policy  pursued  by  the  commodore  from  his  first 
entrance  upon  the  Japanese  waters.  On  the  17th 


384  MATTHEW   C.  PERRY. 

of  July,  1853,  the  day  which  followed  this  memo 
rable  interview,  the  American  squadron  set  sail  for 
ISTapha,  the  capital  of  the  romantic  and  fertile  Lew- 
Chew  Islands ;  where  they  arrived,  after  an  exceed 
ingly  tempestuous  and  perilous  passage,  on  the  25th 
of  the  same  month. 


CHAPTER  III. 

ESTABLISHMENT   OF  A  COMMERCIAL    TREATY  WITH    THB 
JAPANESE   EMPIRE. 

COMMODORE  PERRY  immediately  resumed  bis  ne 
gotiations  with  the  authorities  of  the  kingdom  of 
Lew-Chew.  Several  tedious  conferences  ensued. 
At  length  it  was  agreed  between  them  that  a  build 
ing  for  the  storage  of  coal  should  be  appropriated 
to  the  Americans,  for  which  they  were  to  pay  a  rea 
sonable  rent.  The  liberty  was  also  accorded  them 
of  making  whatever  purchases  they  might  desire  in 
any  portion  of  the  kingdom.  To  facilitate  the  accom 
plishment  of  this  purpose,  a  bazaar  was  opened  in 
which  were  collected  a  large  quantity  of  those  goods 
of  which  traders  and  foreigners  would  be  in  greatest 
need. 

On  the  1st  of  August,  Commodore  Perry,  having 
accomplished  all  which  he  then  proposed  at  Lew- 
Chew,  sailed  for  Hong-Kong.  He  found  it  neces 
sary  to  give  his  ships  a  thorough  refitment,  which 
could  be  done  most  easily  and  successfully  at  this 
Chinese  port  and  at  Macao.  He  arrived  at  Hong- 

Z  33  385 


386  MATTHEW   C.  PERRY. 

Kong  on  the  7th  of  August.  He  embraced  this 
opportunity  to  occupy  the  surveyors  and  artists  of 
the  expedition  in  the  completion  of  their  hydro- 
graphical  reports,  maps,  and  drawings.  Six  months 
were  employed  in  the  accomplishment  of  these 
various  and  important  purposes ;  at  the  end  of 
which  period  Commodore  Perry  again  sailed  on  his 
fourth  visit  to  the  kingdom  of  Lew-Chew.  It  was 
his  purpose  on  this  occasion  to  make  a  more 
thorough  examination  of  the  interior  of  the  chief 
island  of  the  group,  and  ascertain  its  geological 
formation,  the  nature  of  the  soil,  and  its  minera 
logical  and  agricultural  resources.  Various  officers 
from  the  crews  of  the  several  ships  were  selected 
for  this  purpose,  whose  scientific  attainments  best 
fitted  them  to  accomplish  it. 

The  first  peculiarity  which  attracted  the  attention 
of  these  explorers  was  the  vast  amount  of  coral-rock 
which  everywhere  abounded,  even  to  the  summits 
of  mountains  which  ascended  to  the  height  of  five 
hundred  feet.  The  soil  of  the  surface  of  the  island 
they  found  to  be  composed  of  the  detritus  or  debris 
of  coral,  and  decomposed  vegetable  and  animal 
matter.  In  the  valleys  the  soil  is  exceedingly  fertile. 
The  absence  of  marshy  land,  and  the  pure  and 
balmy  breezes  of  the  ocean,  render  the  island  ex 
ceedingly  healthy.  It  is  traversed  by  streams  of 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  38 

pure  watei,  which  take  their  origin  from  the  springs 
which  gush  forth  from  the  recesses  of  the  moun 
tains  and  find  their  tortuous  way  to  the  level  plains 
below.  The  population  of  the  chief  island  the  ex 
plorers  estimated  at  about  two  hundred  thousand. 
The  inhabitants  seem  to  be  descended  from  a  mix 
ture  of  the  Chinese  and  Japanese,  possessing  fea 
tures  and  qualities  which  belong  to  both.  Their 
language  resembles,  and  indeed  seems  to  be  but  a 
dialect  of,  the  Japanese.  The  Lew-Chewans  are  an 
exceedingly  courteous  people,  and  are  among  the 
most  intelligent  of  Oriental  nations.  Their  religion 
is  that  of  the  Hindoo,  the  generally  prevalent  Bud 
dhism  of  the  East.  The  bonzas,  or  priests,  consti 
tute  the  literati  of  the  nation,  and  are  treated  with 
considerable  respect  by  the  populace. 

At  length  Commodore  Perry,  having  completed 
all  his  arrangements  with  the  authorities,  and  all 
his  scientific  researches  in  the  island, — the  most 
important  result  of  which  was  to  ascertain  that 
an  immense  quantity  of  coal  existed  unknown  and 
unemployed  in  the  island,  which  might  be  appro 
priated  to  the  use  of  American  squadrons  in  future 
time, — he  resolved  to  return  to  Japan  for  the  pur 
pose  of  completing  his  negotiations  for  a  treaty 
with  the  imperial  government.  Accordingly,  on 
the  7th  of  February,  Commodore  Perry  set  sail,  and 


388  MATTHEW   C.  PERRY. 

after  a  voyage  of  five  days  arrived  off  the  Bay  of 
Jeddo.  The  next  morning  the  three  steamers,  the 
Powhatan,  Mississippi,  and  Susquehanna,  having 
in  tow  the  ships  Lexington,  Vandalia,  and  Mace 
donian,  proceeded  up  the  magnificent  bay  and  ap 
proached  their  former  anchorage  above  the  city  of 
Uraga.  The  vessels  presented  a  formidable  appear 
ance,  and  produced  a  powerful  impression  on  the 
Japanese;  who  beheld  with  mingled  feelings  of  won 
der  and  apprehension  this  strange  and  bold  squa 
dron  approaching  within  an  hour's  sail  of  their  very 
capital. 

In  a  short  time  Japanese  officers  of  high  rank 
were  conveyed  by  state-barges  on  board  the  Ame 
rican  ships.  Their  object  was,  if  possible,  to  induce 
the  commodore  to  withdraw  his  squadron  at  least 
as  far  in  the  rear  as  the  city  of  Uraga.  In  this 
effort  they  failed ;  for  Commodore  Perry  adhered  to 
his  original  purpose  of  acting  with  great  indepen 
dence,  and  again  threatened  that,  if  the  imperial 
commissioners  would  not  treat  with  him  at  Uraga, 
ne  should  immediately  push  his  squadron  up  to  the 
gates  of  Jeddo.  This  decisive  threat  appeared  for 
a  time  to  suspend  all  further  intercourse.  After 
waiting  in  vain  for  some  days  for  further  communi 
cation  from  the  Japanese,  Commodore  Perry  began 
to  put  his  threat  into  execution,  and  sailed  so  far  up 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  889 

the  bay  that  he  could  distinctly  hear  the  solemn 
striking  of  the  night-watches  on  the  towers  of  the 
capital,  from  the  deck  of  his  flag-ship.  This  decisive 
movement  accomplished  its  intended  effect.  Very 
soon  the  Japanese  officials  visited  the  commodore, 
and  appointed  the  village  of  Yokuhama,  a  place 
much  higher  up  the  bay  than  Uraga,  as  the  spot 
chosen  for  the  deliberations.  This  village  is  one  of 
an  almost  uninterrupted  series  which  stretch  on  both 
sides  of  the  bay  from  the  sea  to  the  capital ;  and  it 
is  in  fact  situated  only  nine  miles  from  Jeddo. 

Here  a  large  temporary  building  had  been  erected ; 
and  the  final  conferences  commenced  on  the  8th  of 
March,  1854.  The  commodore  drew  up  his  squa 
dron,  consisting  of  three  steamers  and  six  sailing- 
vessels,  so  as  completely  to  command  the  position. 
A  vast  multitude  of  Japanese  and  a  large  array  of 
native  soldiers  were  assembled  to  witness  the  pro 
ceedings.  Five  princes  of  the  highest  rank  had 
been  appointed  to  represent  the  imperial  govern 
ment  on  this  important  occasion.  Commodore 
Perry  proceeded  from  his  squadron  attended  by  a 
suitable  retinue.  He  and  his  suite  were  conducted 
to  the  building  appointed  for  the  purpose.  As 
soon  as  these  were  seated,  the  Japanese  commis 
sioners  entered.  They  were  venerable  persons,  with 

long  beards,   courteous  manners,   and  arrayed  in 

33* 


390  MATTHEW   C.  PERRY. 

costly  and  magnificent  attire.  Their  flowing  robes 
gave  them  an  advantage  in  appearance  over  the 
trim  and  constrained  costume  of  the  strangers.  As 
soon  as  they  entered,  the  numerous  Japanese  offi 
cials  who  were  in  the  hall  fell  upon  their  knees,  and 
remained  in  that  position  as  long  as  the  delibera 
tions  lasted. 

The  chief  member  of  the  commission  was  Prince 
Hayashi-dai-gaku-no-kami.  He  was  a  person  of 
about  fifty-five  years  of  age,  grave  in  manners,  hand 
some  in  person,  and  exceedingly  courteous.  An 
interpreter  was  present  on  his  knees,  who  was  to  act 
on  the  occasion.  After  the  commissioners  were 
seated,  the  Prince  addressed  a  few  words  to  the 
interpreter.  He  listened  a  moment  with  downcast 
eyes,  and  then,  by  a  skilful  movement  of  his  knees, 
moved  toward  the  commodore's  interpreter,  and 
having  communicated  his  message,  returned  to  the 
feet  of  the  Prince.  This  message  proved  to  be  the 
ordinary  compliments  appropriate  to  the  occasion. 
An  exchange  of  polite  messages  took  place  for  some 
time  afterward,  when  refreshments  were  brought  in 
and  handed  to  the  company.  The  commissioners 
then  proposed  that  they  should  retire  into  a  smaller 
room,  with  which  request  the  commodore  unhesita 
tingly  complied.  "When  this  change  had  been  com 
pleted,  the  chief  commissioner  opened  the  delibera- 


MATTHEW  C.  PERRY.  391 

tions  by  stating  that  it  was  the  Japanese  custom  on 
such  occasions  to  speak  slowly.  He  then  handed 
the  commodore  a  long  roll  of  paper.  It  proved  to 
be  the  answer  of  the  imperial  government  to  the 
Better  of  the  President.  This  letter  stated  that,  at 
the  former  visit  of  his  excellency  the  commander 
of  the  American  squadron,  the  late  Emperor  of 
Japan  was  sick,  and  was  then  dead;  that  subse 
quently  his  majesty  the  present  emperor  ascended 
the  throne ;  that  many  important  interests  of  the 
empire  had  since  his  accession  occupied  his  at 
tention  ;  that  the  new  emperor,  at  his  accession, 
promised  to  the  princes  and  high  officers  of  the 
empire  to  observe  the  existing  laws ;  and  that  the 
usages  of  their  ancestors  absolutely  forbade  any 
sudden  changes  to  be  made  in  the  administration 
of  the  laws  or  the  government  of  the  empire ;  that, 
nevertheless,  the  spirit  of  the  age  required  that 
some  concessions  should  be  made  to  it;  and  that 
consequently  his  imperial  majesty  had  determined 
to  accede  to  some  of  the  requests  contained  in  the 
letter  of  his  majesty  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  to  ordain  that  a  harbor  should  be  ap 
propriated  for  American  ships,  in  order  that  they 
might  there  be  supplied  with  coal,  wood,  water, 
provisions,  and  other  necessaries ;  and  that  all  the 
various  productions  of  the  empire  which  misjht 


392  MATTHEW    C.  PERRY. 

be  desired  should  be  sold  at  reasonable  prises  to 
the  American  vessels  which  frequented  that  port. 
The  letter  added,  that  after  the  commissioners  of 
both  governments  had  settled  all  the  details  of  the 
negotiations,  the  treaty  could  be  concluded  and 
ratified  in  due  form  at  a  subsequent  interview. 
After  some  further  conversation  the  meeting  broke 
up ;  but  protracted  conferences  took  place  from  time 
to  time,  which  were  not  concluded  until  the  1st  of 
April,  1854. 

The  results  of  the  labors  of  Commodore  Perry 
were  comprised  in  the  various  conditions  of  the 
treaty  which  was  finally  adopted.  Those  conditions 
cover  the  whole  ground  which  was  contemplated  by 
the  American  Government  in  sending  forth  the 
expedition.  Many  of  the  points  treated  of  were 
the  subjects  of  prolonged  and  animated  discussion 
between  the  representatives  of  the  two  nations ;  but 
the  superior  sagacity,  pertinacity,  and  ability  of 
Commodore  Perry  in  every  instance  eventually 
gained  him  the  victory.  The  importance  of  that 
victory  increases  with  the  progress  of  time.  It  is 
prospective  and  future,  as  well  as  immediate  and 
present;  for  it  will  operate  with  beneficial  and  en 
larging  effect  as  the  commerce  of  the  United  States 
grows  in  magnitude  from  year  to  year  among  the 
many  seas,  islands,  and  countries  of  the  Asiatic 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  393 

continent.  The  chief  points  of  this  remarkable 
treaty  are  as  follows : 

"  The  United  States  of  America  and  the  Empire 
of  Japan,  desiring  to  establish  firm,  lasting,  and 
sincere  friendship  between  the  two  nations,  have 
resolved  to  fix,  in  a  manner  clear  and  positive,  by 
means  of  a  treaty  or  general  convention  of  peace 
and  amity,  the  rules  which  shall  in  future  be  mu 
tually  observed  in  the  intercourse  of  their  respective 
countries ;  for  which  most  desirable  object  the  Pre 
sident  of  the  United  States  has  conferred  full  powers 
on  his  commissioner,  Matthew  Calbraith  Perry, 
special  ambassador  of  the  United  States  to  Japan  ; 
and  the  august  sovereign  of  Japan  has  given  similar 
full  powers  to  his  commissioners,  Hayashi-dai-gaku- 
no-kami,  Ido,  Prince  of  Tsus-Sima,  Izawa,  Prince 
of  Mimasaki,  and  Udono,  member  of  the  Board  of 
Revenue. 

"And  the  said  commissioners,  after  having  ex 
changed  their  said  full  powers  and  duly  considered 
the  premises,  have  agreed  to  the  following  articles : 

"I.  There  shall  be  a  perfect,  permanent,  and 
universal  peace,  and  a  sincere  and  cordial  amity, 
between  the  United  States  of  America  on  the  one 
part  and  the  Empire  of  Japan  on  the  other,  and 
between  their  people,  respectively,  without  excep 
tion  of  persons  or  places. 


394  MATTHEW   C.  PERRY. 

"  II  The  port  of  Simoda,  in  the  principality  of 
Idzu,  and  the  port  of  Hakodadi,  in  the  principality 
;of  Matsmai,  are  granted  by  the  Japanese  as  ports 
for  the  reception  of  American  ships,  where  they  can 
be  supplied  with  wood,  water,  provisions,  and  coal, 
and  other  articles  their  necessities  may  require,  as 
far  as  the  Japanese  have  them.  The  time  for  open 
ing  the  first-named  port  is  immediately  on  signing 
this  treaty;  the  last-named  port  is  to  be  opened 
immediately  after  the  same  day  in  the  ensuing 
Japanese  year. 

"NOTE. — A  tariff  of  prices  shall  be  given  by  the 
Japanese  officers  of  the  things  which  they  can  fur 
nish,  payment  for  which  shall  be  made  in  gold  and 
silver  coin. 

"III.  Whatever  ships  of  the  United  States  are 
thrown  or  wrecked  on  the  coast  of  Japan,  the  Ja 
panese  vessels  will  assist  them  and  carry  their  crews 
to  Simoda  or  Hakodadi,  and  hand  them  over  to 
their  countrymen  appointed  to  receive  them.  What 
ever  articles  the  shipwrecked  men  may  have  pre 
served  shall  likewise  be  restored,  and  the  expenses 
incurred  in  the  rescue  and  support  of  American 
and  Japanese,  who  may  thus  be  thrown  upon  the 
shores  of  either  nation,  are  not  to  be  refunded. 

"IV.  Those  shipwrecked  persons  and  other  citi 
zens  of  the  United  States  shall  be  free  as  in  other 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  395 

countries,  and  not  subjected  to  confinement,  but 
shall  be  amenable  to  just  laws. 

"  Y.  Shipwrecked  men  and  other  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  temporarily  living  at  Simoda  and 
Hakodadi,  shall  not  be  subject  to  such  restrictions 
and  confinement  as  the  Dutch  and  Chinese  are  at 
Nagasaki ;  but  shall  be  free  at  Simoda  to  go  where 
they  please  within  the  limits  of  seven  Japanese 
miles  (or  ri)  from  a  small  island  in  the  harbor  of 
Simoda,  marked  on  the  accompanying  chart,  hereto 
appended ;  and  shall  in  like  manner  be  free  to  go 
where  they  please  at  Hakodadi,  within  limits  to  be 
defined  after  the  visit  of  the  United  States  squadron 
to  that  place. 

"  YI.  If  there  be  any  other  sort  of  goods  wanted, 
or  any  business  which  shall  require  to  be  arranged, 
there  shall  be  careful  deliberation  between  the 
parties  in  order  to  settle  such  matters. 

"  YIL  It  is  agreed  that  ships  of  the  United  States 
resorting  to  the  ports  open  to  them  shall  be  per 
mitted  to  exchange  gold  and  silver  coin,  and  articles 
of  goods,  for  other  articles  of  goods,  under  such 
regulations  as  shall  be  temporarily  established  by 
the  Japanese  Government  for  that  purpose.  It  is 
stipulated,  however,  that  the  ships  of  the  United 
States  shall  be  permitted  to  carry  away  whatever 
articles  they  are  unwilling  to  exchange. 


396  MATTHEW   C.  PERRY. 

"VIII.  Wood,  water,  provisions,  coal,  and  goods 
required  shall  only  be  procured  through  the  agency 
of  Japanese  officers  appointed  for  that  purpose,  and 
in  no  other  manner. 

"  IX.  It  is  agreed,  that  if,  at  any  future  day.  the 
Government  of  Japan  shall  grant  to  any  other 
nation  or  nations  privileges  which  are  not  herein 
granted  to  the  United  States  and  the  citizens  there 
of,  that  the  same  privileges  and  advantages  shall  be 
granted  likewise  to  the  United  States  and  to  the 
citizens  thereof  without  any  consultation  or  delay. 

"  X.  Ships  of  the  United  States  shall  be  permitted 
to  resort  to  no  other  ports  in  Japan  but  Simoda  and 
Hakodadi,  unless  in  distress  or  forced  by  stress  of 
weather. 

"XL  There  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Govern 
ment  of  the  United  States  consuls  or  agents  to  re 
side  in  Simoda  at  any  time  after  the  expiration  of 
eighteen  months  from  the  date  of  the  signing  of 
this  treaty ;  provided  that  either  of  the  two  Govern 
ments  deem  such  arrangement  necessary. 

"  XII.  The  present  convention,  having  been  con 
cluded  and  duly  signed,  shall  be  obligatory  and 
faithfully  observed  by  the  United  States  of  America 
and  Japan,  and  by  the  citizens  and  subjects  of  each 
respective  power ;  and  it  is  to  be  ratified  and  ap 
proved  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  by 


MATTHEW    C.  PERRY.  397 

and  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  Senate 
thereof,  and  by  the  august  Sovereign  of  Japan, 
and  the  ratifications  shall  be-  exchanged  within 
eighteen  months  from  the  date  of  the  signature 
thereof,  or  sooner  if  practicable. 

"In  faith  whereof,  we,  the  respective  plenipo 
tentiaries  of  the  United  States  of  America  and  the 
Empire  of  Japan  aforesaid,  have  signed  and  sealed 
these  presents. 

"Done  at  Kanagawa,  this  thirty-first  day  of 
March,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-four,  and  of  Keyei 
the  seventh  year,  third  month,  and  third  day." 

The  following  additional  stipulations  were  subse 
quently  agreed  upon  between  the  commissioners  of 
the  Japanese  and  American  Governments : 

"  I.  The  imperial  governors  of  Simoda  will  place 
watch-stations  wherever  they  deem  best,  to  designate 
the  limits  of  their  jurisdiction ;  but  Americans  are 
at  liberty  to  go  through  them,  unrestricted,  within 
the  limits  of  seven  Japanese  ri,  or  miles ;  and  those 
who  are  found  transgressing  Japanese  laws  may  be 
apprehended  by  the  police  and  taken  on  board  their 
ships. 

"II.  Three  landing-places  shall  be  constructed  for 
the  boats  of  merchant-ships  and  whale-ships  resort 
ing  to  this  port:  one  at  Simoda,  one  at  Kakizaki, 

34 


MATTHEW    C.  PERRY. 

and  the  third  at  the  "brook  lying  southeast  of  Centre 
Island.  The  citizens  of  the  United  States  will,  of 
course,  treat  the  Japanese  officers  with  proper  re 
spect. 

"III.  Americans,  when  on  shore,  are  not  allowed 
access  to  military  establishments  or  private  houses 
without  leave;  but  they  can  enter  shops  and  visit 
temples  as  they  please. 

"IV.  Two  temples,  the  Eioshen  at  Simoda,  and 
the  Yokushen  at  Kakizaki,  are  assigned  as  resting- 
places  for  persons  in  their  walks,  until  public  houses 
and  inns  are  erected  for  their  convenience. 

"V.  Near  the  temple  Yokushen,  at  Kakizaki,  a 
burial-ground  has  been  set  apart  for  Americans, 
where  their  graves  and  tombs  shall  not  be  mo 
lested. 

"  VI.  It  is  stipulated  in  the  treaty  of  Kanagawa, 
that  coal  will  be  furnished  at  Hakodadi ;  but,  as  it  is 
very  difficult  for  the  Japanese  to  supply  it  at  that 
port,  Commodore  Perry  promises  to  mention  this  to 
his  Government,  in  order  that  the  Japanese  Govern 
ment  may  be  relieved  from  the  obligation  of  making 
that  port  a  coal-depot. 

"VII.  It  is  agreed  that  henceforth  the  Chinese 
language  shall  not  be  employed  in  official  commu 
nications  between  the  two  Governments,  except 
when  there  is  no  Dutch  interpreter. 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  399 

"VIII.  A  harbor-master  and  three  skilful  pilots 
have  been  appointed  for  the  port  of  Simoda. 

"  IX.  Whenever  goods  are  selected  in  the  shops, 
they  shall  be  marked  with  the  name  of  the  pur 
chaser  and  the  price  agreed  upon,  and  then  be  sent 
to  the  goyoshi,  or  Government-office,  where  the 
money  is  to  be  paid  to  Japanese  officers,  and  the 
articles  delivered  by  them.  Bancroft  Libr; 

"  X.  The  shooting  of  birds  and  animals  is  gene 
rally  forbidden  in  Japan;  and  this  law  is  therefore 
to  be  observed  by  all  Americans." 


CHAPTEK   IV. 

CONCLUDING    LABORS   OF   COMMODORE    PERRY  IN  JAPAN 
AND   LEW-CHEW. 

THE  labors  of  the  Commissioners  being  thus  con 
cluded  in  the  establishment  of  a  treaty  between  the 
Japanese  and  American  Governments,  they  re 
solved  to  cement  the  union  and  increase  their  kindly 
feeling  by  mutual  hospitalities  and  banquets.  The 
proper  time  had  also  arrived  for  the  delivery  of  the 
presents  which  the  President  of  the  United  States 
had  sent  for  the  acceptance  of  his  august  ally, 
These  consisted  of  various  and  valuable  specimens 
of  the  manufactures  and  inventions  of  the  United 
States,  including  an  electric  telegraph,  a  miniature 
steam-engine  and  railroad,  philosophical  instru 
ments,  Colt's  revolvers,  books,  liquors,  and  per 
fumery.  The  commodore  now  ordered  these  arti 
cles  to  be  removed  from  the  flag-ship  to  the  shore, 
to  be  properly  arranged  and  exhibited  to  the  com 
missioners,  and  their  method  of  operation  pointed 
out.  The  astonishment  of  the  Japanese  was  ex 
treme  when  these  splendid  and  beautiful  objects 

400 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  401 

were  displayed  to  them ;  and  they  were  deeply  im 
pressed  with  the  superior  intelligence  and  civiliza 
tion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  distant  clime  who 
had  thus  become,  for  the  first  time,  directly  ac 
quainted  with  them.  They  returned  the  compli 
ment  in  a  few  days  with  presents  of  their  own  manu 
factures,  which  included  rich  silks  and  brocades, 
chow-chow  boxes,-  tables,  toys,  and  goblets,  con 
structed  of  the  famous  lacquered  ware  of  Japan, 
porcelain  cups,  pipe-cases,  umbrellas,  and  various 
specimens  of  the  Japanese  wardrobe.  These  pre 
sents  were  first  arranged  in  the  Treaty  House,  and 
then  an  invitation  was  sent  to  Commodore  Perry 
to  inspect  and  accept  them.  Two  hundred  sacks 
of  rice  were  also  included  among  the  gifts ;  and 
when  the  commodore  inquired  why  so  ponderous  a 
bulk  had  been  selected,  he  received  as  an  answer 
that  it  was  the  custom  of  the  Japanese  never  to 
bestow  a  present  without  including  also  a  quantity 
of  rice. 

Thus,  the  stipulations  of  the  written  treaty  having 
been  confirmed  by  the  exhibition  of  friendly  feeling 
and  generous  courtesies  on  both  sides,  the  commo 
dore  took  his  leave  of  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
capital ;  and  on  the  8th  of  April,  1854,  proceeded 
with  his  squadron  to  Simoda  and  Hakodadi,  the  two 

ports  which  had  been  selected  for  the  use  of  the 
2  A  .  34* 


402  MATTHEW    C.  PERRY. 

Americans.  Commodore  Perry  desired  to  visit 
these  places  and  examine  their  facilities,  and  their 
adaptation  to  the  purposes  for  which  they  had  been 
designated.  .  A  few  minor  details  respecting  the 
treaty  which  had  already  been  completed  yet  re 
mained  to  be  settled ;  and  Hakodadi  was  the  place 
appointed  for  that  purpose. 

Simoda  contains  about  seven  thousand  inhabit 
ants,  and  is  situated  on  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  island  of  Niphon,  the  largest  of  the  Japanese 
group.  It  is  compactly  built,  and  laid  out  in  streets 
which  run  in  right  angles.  These  streets  are  about 
twenty  feet  in  width  and  are  regularly  paved. 
The  utmost  attention  is  paid  to  cleanliness ;  and  a 
superior  degree  of  healthfulness  is  the  result.  The 
town  contains  nine  Buddhist  temples  and  other 
smaller  shrines.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  province 
of  Idzu,'  and  its  governor  is  appointed  directly  by 
the  supreme  power  at  Jeddo. 

The  officers  of  the  American  squadron  visited  the 
shore  daily.  They  carefully  examined  the  harbor, 
and  suggested  such  improvements  to  the  authorities 
as  would  be  necessary  to  render  it  fit  for  the  recep 
tion  of  American  ships.  After  their  scrutiny  was 
completed,  the  commodore  proceeded  to  Hakodadi. 
This  place  is  situated  on  a  spacious  and  beautiful 
Dayr  and  the  harbor  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world. 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  403 

The  town  is  one  of  considerable  commercial  im 
portance,  and  a  large  trade  is  carried  on  with  it  by 
fleets  of  junks.  The  inhabitants  number  about 
twenty  thousand.  Like  Simoda,  it  is  neatly  and 
regularly  built,  and  is  cleanly  and  prosperous. 

Here  the  commodore  met  the  Japanese  commis 
sioners  who  were  to  complete  the  settlement  of  the 
remaining  details  of  the  treaty.  The  chief  discussion 
between  them  referred  to  the  extent  of  country  around 
Hakodadi  through  which  the  Americans  should  be 
permitted  to  travel.  Some  of  the  commissioners  in 
sisted  that  they  should  be  restricted  to  the  limits  of 
the  town  ;  but  this  point  was  abandoned.  Another 
subject  of  argument  was  the  adjustment  of  the  cur 
rency  to  be  used  between  the  two  nations.  A  suc 
cession  of  daily  conferences  took  place  from  the  8th 
till  the  17th  of  June,  and  all  the  disputed  points 
were  arranged  during  that  interval.  The  last  official 
act  which  took  place  between  the  commissioners 
was  the  presentation  by  the  Japanese  of  a  block  of 
stone  for  the  national  monument  at  Washington ; 
which  was  to  be  conveyed  across  the  deep  as  a  tri 
bute  from  the  Empire  of  Japan  to  the  memory  and 
glory  of  the  immortal  founder  of  the  Kepublic. 

Commodore  Perry  having  thus  successfully  ter 
minated  all  the  duties  of  his  mission  to  the  im- 


404  MATTHEW   C.  PERRY. 

perial  Government,  the  whole  American  squadron 
weighed  anchor  to  return  home  on  the  28th  of  June, 
1854.  He  directed  his  course  to  the  Lew-Chew 
Islands,  with  the  authorities  of  which  he  proposed 
to  conclude  the  negotiations  which  had  already 
been  begun  and  considerably  advanced.  His  ships 
entered  the  port  of  RTapha  on  the  1st  of  July. 
After  protracted  deliberations,  a  treaty  was  agreed 
upon  in  all  its  details.  It  guaranteed  the  right  to 
Americans  to  visit  the  islands,  and  to  purchase 
whatever  they  might  desire  ;  it  provided  that  Ame 
rican  ships  visiting  the  harbor  should  be  furnished 
with  fuel  and  provisions ;  that  if  ships  were  wrecked 
on  the  coast,  the  Lew-Chewans  should  afford  their 
crews  all  the  assistance  in  their  power,  and  pre 
serve  their  property  which  might  be  saved  from  all 
attempts  at  plunder;  that  if  American  seamen  dis 
obeyed  the  laws  of  the  kingdom,  or  committed  any 
outrage,  they  should  be  arrested  by  the  local  authori 
ties  and  taken  to  the  American  commander  for 
punishment;  it  stipulated  that  a  burial-ground 
should  be  appropriated  to  the  Americans  for  their 
use,  and  their  graves  be  respected ;  and  that  the 
Government  of  Napha  should  appoint  skillful  pilots, 
who  should  be  on  the  look-out  for  ships  which 
might  approach  the  island,  and  should  go  out  in 


MATTHEW   C.  PERRY.  405 

boats  beyond  the  reef  to  conduct  them  to  good 
anchorage,  for  which  service  they  should  be  pro 
perly  compensated.  This  treaty  was  duly  ratified 
on  the  llth  of  July,  1854,  by  Commodore  Perry 
and  the  Regent  of  the  Kingdom  of  the  Lew-Chew 
Islands ;  and  its  accomplishment  adds  much  to  the 
facilities  of  trade  and  the  profits  of  commerce  to 
those  American  vessels  which  visit  the  remoter 
climes  of  the  East. 

On  the  17th  of  July  Commodore  Perry  resumed 
his  return  voyage.  He  arrived  in  New  York  on  the 
12th  of  January,  1855 ;  having  employed  two  years 
and  two  months  in  the  acnievement  of  one  of  the 
most  difficult,  important,  and  beneficial  alliances 
which  adorns  the  history  and  promotes  the  welfare 
of  our  country.  Few  negotiations  have  ever  been 
conducted  and  completed  which  were  attended  with 
such  immense  obstacles ;  in  which  success  was  so  pro 
blematical  ;  which  called  for  the  exercise  of  greater 
prudence,  perseverance,  and  sagacity;  in  which 
failure  would  have  been  more  ignominious,  and  in 
which  success  would  be  more  honorable  and  more 
remunerative.  And  as  one  of  the  Japanese  com 
missioners  publicly  asserted,  that  the  "  name  of 
Commodore  Perry  would  live  forever  in  the  history 
of  Japan ;"  so  also  may  it  be  declared,  with  equal 


. 


406  MATTHEW   C.  PERRY. 

truth,  that  his  services  and  his  memory  will  long 
remain  distinguished  in  the  annals  of  that  greater 
and  mightier  empire  which  sent  him  forth,  and  for 
whose  commercial  prosperity  and  national  glory  he 
so  ably  and  so  triumphantly  labored. 


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cause. — Norton1  s  Literary  Gazette. 

Written  in  the  author's  most  forcible  and  vigorous  style. — Lehigh  Valley  Times. 

In  the  "  Ten  Nights  in  a  Bar-Room,"  some  of  the  consequences  of  tavern-keeping,  the 
"sowing  of  the  wind"  and  "reaping  the  whirlwind,"  are  followed  by  a  "  fearful  con- 
•Lromation,"  and  the  "closing  scene,"  presenting  pictures  of  fearful,  thrilling  interest. 
— Am.  Courier. 

There  is  no  exaggeration  in  these  pages— they  seem  to  have  been  filled  tip  from  actual 
Observation.— Philadelphia  Sun. 

We  have  read  it  with  the  most  intense  interest,  and  commend  it  as  a  work  calculated 
lo  do  an  immense  amount  of  good. — Lancaster  Express. 

We  wish  that  all  lovers  of  bar-rooms  and  rum  would  read  the  book.  It  will  pay  them 
richly  to  do  so.— N.  T.  Northern  Blade. 

It  is  sufficient  commendation  of  this  little  volume  to  say  that  it  is  from  the  graphic 
pen  of  T.  S.  Arthur,  whose  works  will  be  read  and  reread  long  after  he  has  passed 
away.  He  is  as  true  to  nature,  as  far  as  he  attempts  to  explore  it,  as  Shakspe^ue 
himself;  aud  his  works,  consequently,  have  an  immense  popularity. — New  Uavtn 
Palladium. 

There  are  many  scenes  unequaled  for  pathos  and  beauty.  The  death  of  little  Mary 
MD  scarcely  be  surpassed.— jy.  Y.  Home  Journal. 


WHAT   CAN  WOMAN  DO? 

12mo.,  with  Mezzotint  Engraving, Price  $1.00 

Onr  purpose  is  to  show,  in  a  «pries  of  life  pictures,  what  woman  can  do,  as  well  f»i 
rood  as  for  evil.  We  desire  to  bring  her  before  you  as  a  living  entity,  that  yon  may  se% 
•or  as  she  is,  aud  comprehend  in  some  small  degree  the  influence  she  wields  in  th« 
world's  progress  upward,  as  well  as  her  power  to  mar  the  human  soul  and  drasr  it  down 
t«  perdition,  w^en  hei  own  spirit  is  darkened  by  f"  r.a«,0j01j«  » — MMiv 
2  \fice. 


LIST  OF  VALUABLE  AND  POPULAB  BOOKS. 


T.    S.    ABTHUR'S    WO  RKS—  Continued. 

OK, 

RELIGION    IN    COMMON    LIFE. 

Price, •     -  $1.0C 

NOTICES     OF     THE     PRESS. 

It  panders  to  the  doctrines  and  tenets  of  no  particular  sect,  and  will  be  found  an  excel 
lent  book  to  place  in  the  hands  of  young  people. — Savannah  Georgian* 

It  is  a  work  well  calculated  to  do  good,  and  to  put  into  the  hands  of  'dhe  youth  of  the 
country. — Enquirer. 

This  work  will  interest  the  reader,  and  at  the  same  time  teach  lessons  of  practical 
Talue.— Ch.  Messenger,  Vt. 

It  is  designed  to  show  that  the  beauties  and  endearments  of  Christianity  are  to  be 
developed  amid  the  stern  realities  of  every-day  life. — Vermont  Messenger. 

It  is  a  timely  and  good  book,  and  should  be  widely  read,  especially  by  young  Chris- 
tians  —Central  Ch.  Herald,  Cincinnati. 

Mr.  Arthur  is  already  well  known  as  an  earnest  man,  whose  object  has  been  to  do 
his  part  in  spreading  the  doctrines  and  teachings  of  the  Christian  religion  ;  and  in  the 
present  volume  he  urges  the  necessity  of  charity,  and  endeavors  to  impress  upon  the 
reader  the  fact  that  religion  is  for  daily  life,  "£nd  cannot  be  put  aside  at  the  tranquil 
close  of  Sabbath  evenings." — Courier  and  Enquirer. 

More  decidedly  religious  in  its  character  than  Arthur's  other  works,  though  it  ia 
neither  doctrinal  nor  sectarian. — Ch.  Times,  Chicago. 

The  pen  of  T.  S.  Arthur  never  tires.  In  this  new  volume,  we  preceive  that  he  is 
still  laboring  s  uccessfully  in  producing  brief  stories,  the  aim  of  which  is  moral.  He 
says  truly,  when  he  declares  that  "no  special  theology  is  taught  in  this  volume,"  by 
which  he  means,  we  suppose,  that  controverted  dogmas  are  not  introduced.  His  main 
point  is,  "Religion,  to  be  of  any  real  use  to  a  man,  must  come  down  into  all  his.  daily 
duties,  and  regulate  his  actions  by  a  divine  standard." — Exeter  News  Letter. 

No  special  theology  is  taught  in  this  volume.  It  addresses  itself  to  no  particular  st^t 
or  denomination.  It  has  no  aim  but  to  assist  men  to  grow  better,  and  thence,  happier. — 
Salem  Gazette. 

Arthur  has  produced  few  more  satisfactory  books  than  this.-— Atlas  and  Bee. 


THE  HAND  WITHOUT  THE  HEART; 

OR, 

THE  LIFE  TRIALS  OF  JESSIE  LORING. 
Price, $1.00 

The  point  of  this  story  is  expressed  in  the  title ;  and  the  story  itself  is  a  sharply  drawn 
Illustration  of  the  folly  and  madness  of  linking  together  two  immortal  souls  by  the 
rough  chains  of  selfish  interest,  pride,  or  baser  passion.  The  lesson  taught  is  one  of 
daep  significance ;  and  thousands  of  hearts  will  throb  in  almost  wild  response,  to  the 
life  experiences  of  Jessie  Loring,  who  in  all  the  bitter  trials  of  her  unhappy  union, 
swerved  not  a  hair's  breadth  from  honor,  principle,  or  religious  duty,  though  temptation 
came  in  its  most  alluring  shape.  As  the  type  of  a  true  woman,  she  is  worthy  to  ta 
•mhHlmsd  in  the  mainory  of  every  reader. — Southern  Argus. 


Til  YOUN6   MM  IT  HOll. 

in  ono.  »       t  Price,  $1.00 


10       LIST  OF  VALUABLE  AND  POPULAB  BOOKS. 

T.    S.    ARTHUR'S    WO  RKS—  Continued. 

ARTHUR'S   SKETCHES 

OP 

IXFB   AND   G11HAGTEB. 

An  octavo  volume  of  over  40C  pages,  beautifully  Illustrated,  an 
bound  in  the  best  English  muslin,  gilt.     Price  $2.00. 

NOTICES    OF    THE    PRESS. 

The  present  volume,  containing  more  than  four  hundred  finely-printed  octavo  pages, 
Is  illustrated  by  splendid  engravings,  and  made  particularly  valuable  to  those  who  like 
to  "see  the  face  of  him  they  talk  withal,"  by  a  correct  likeness  of  the  author,  finely  en 
graved  on  steel. — NeaVs  Gazette. 

In  the  princely  mansions  of  the  Atlantic  merchants,  and  in  the  rude  log  cabins  of  the 
backwoodsmen,  the  name  of  Arthur  is  equally  known  and  cherished  as  the  friend  of 
vittue. — Graham's  Magazine. 

We  would  not  exchange  our  copy  of  these  sketches,  with  its  story  of  "  The  Methodist 
Preacher,"  for  anyone  of  the  gilt-edged  and  embossed  Annuals  which  we  have  yet  seen. 
— Lady'1 8  National  Magazine. 

The  first  story  in  the  volume,  entitled  "  The  Methodist  Preacher,  or  bights  and 
Shadows  in  the  Life  of  an  Itinerant,"  is  alone  worth  the  price  of  the  work. — Evening 
Bulletin. 

It  is  emphatically  a  splendid  work. — Middletown  Whig. 

Its  worth  and  cheapness  should  place  it  in  every  person's  hands  who  desires  to  read 
an  interesting  book. — Odd  Fellow,  Boonsboro\ 

"The  Methodist  Preacher,"  "  Seed-Time  and  Harvest,"  "Dyed  in  the  Wool,"  are  full 
>f  truth  as  well  as  instruction,  and  any  one  of  them  is  worth  the  whole  price  of  the 
f  olume. — Lowell  Day-star,  Rev.  D.  0.  Eddy,  Editor. 

There  is  a  fascination  about  these  sketches  which  so  powerfully  interests  the  reader, 
that  few  who  commence  one  of  them  will  part  with  it  till  it  is  concluded ;  and  they  will 
bear  reading  repeatedly. — Norfolk  and  Portsmouth  Herald. 

Those  who  have  not  perused  these  model  stories  have  a  rich  feast  in  waiting,  and  we 
Khali  be  happy  if  we  can  be  instrumental  in  pointing  them  to  it. — Family  Visitor, 
Madison,  Ga. 

No  library  for  family  reading  should  be  considered  complete  without  this  volume, 
which  is  as  lively  and  entertaining  in  its  character,  as  it  is  salutary  in  its  influence. — 
N.  Y.  Tribune. 

The  work  is  beautifully  illustrated.  Those  who  are  at  all  acquainted  with  Arthur's 
writings  need  hardly  be  told  that  the  present  work  is  a  prize  to  whoever  possesses  it.— 
2f.  Y.  Sun. 

We  know  no  better  book  for  the  table  of  any  family,  whether  regarded  for  its  ne» 
exterior  or  valuable  contents. —  Vox  Populi,  Lowdl. 

The  name  of  the  author  is  in  itself  a  sufficient  recommendation  of  the  work.—  Law- 
rence  Sentinel. 

T.  S.  Arthur  is  one  of  the  best  literary  writeis  of  the  age. — Watchman,  Circlevillt 
Ohio. 

The  name  alone  of  the  author  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  to  the  reading  public  of  its  sar 
passing  merit.— The  Argus  Gallatin,  Miss. 

Probably  he  has  not  written  a  line  which,  dying,  he  could  wish  to  erase. — Parkeri 
*urg(Va.)  Gazette. 


THE    WITHERED     HEART. 

12iuo.,  with  fine  Mezzotint   Frontispiece.     Cloth Price  $1.0t 

This  work  has  gone  through  several  editions  iut  England  although 
published  but  a  few  weeks,  and  has  had  the  most  flattering  notice* 
iLwm  the  English  Press. 


LIST   OF    VALUABLE  AND   POPULAR  BOOKS.  il 

T.    S.    ARTHUR'S    W  0  RKS—  Continued. 

figljts  ant)  j%b0fos  uf  Jkal  fife. 

With  an  Autobiography  and  Portrait  of  the  Author.      Over  fivt 
Hundred  pages,  octavo,  with  fine  tinted  Engravings.     Price  $2.00. 

NOTICES    OF     THE     PRESS. 

In  this  volume  may  be  found  a  "moral  suasion,"  which  cannot  but  affect  for  good 
all  who  read.  The  mechanical  execution  of  th«  work  is  very  beautiful  throughout.— 
New  Haven  Palladium. 

It  is  by  far  the  most  valuable  book  ever  published  of  his  works,  inasmuch  as  it  Is  en 
riched  with  a  very  interesting,  though  brief  autobiography. — American  Courier. 

No  family  library  is  complete  without  a  copy  of  this  bo&k. — Scott's  Weekly  Paper. 

No  better  or  worthier  present  could  be  made  to  the  young  ;  no  offering  more  pure, 
charitable,  and  practicable  could  be  tendered  to  those  who  are  interested  in  the  truly 
oenevolent  reforms  of  the  day. — Oodey's  Lady's  Book. 

The  paper,  the  engravings,  the  binding,  and  the  literary  contents,  are  all  calculated 
to  make  it  a  favorite. — Penn.  Inquirer. 

This  volume  cannot  be  too  highly  recommended.—  N.  T.  Tribune. 

More  good  has  been  effected,  than  by  any  other  single  medium  that  we  know  of,—* 
N.  Y.  Sun. 

The  work  should  be  upon  the  centre-table  of  every  parent  in  the  land. — Nationtu 
Temperance  Magazine. 


LEAVES  FROM  THE  BOOK  OF  HUMAN  LIFE, 

Large  12mo.    With  Thirty  Illustrations  and  Steel  Plate.    Price  $1.00 

A.  single  story  is  worth  the  price  charged  for  the  book.— Union,  Newburyport,  Mass. 
"  It  includes  some  of  the  best  humorous  sketches  of  the  author." 


The  following  Books  are  bound  in  uniform  style  as  "ARTHUR'S 
COTTAGE  LIBRARY,"  and  are  sold  in  sets,  or  separately,  each 
volume  being  complete  in  itself.  Each  volume  is  embellished 
with  a  fine  Mezzotint  Engraving.] 


TO 

AND    OTHER    TALES. 
Cloth,  12mo.,  with  Mezzotint  Engraving,  .....................  Price  $1.00 

TRUE  RICHES;  OR,  WEALTH  WITHOUT  WINGS. 

AND    OTHER    TALES. 
Cloth,  12mo.,  with  Mezzotint  Engraving,  .....................  Price  $1.00. 

ANGEL   OF  THE  HOUSEHOLD. 

AND    OTHER    TALES. 
Cloth,  12mo.,  with  Mezzotint  Engraving,  ..............  <.  ,  .  Price  $1  00 


D2  LIST   OF    VALUABLE   AND    POPULAR   BOOKS. 

T.    S.    ARTHUR'S    W  0  RKS—  Continued. 


GOLDEN  GRAINS  FROM  LIFE'S  HARVEST-FIELD, 

Bound  in  gilt  back  and  sides,  sheep,  with  a  beautiful  Mezzotint  En 
graving.     12mo.     Price  $1.00. 

NOTICES    OF    THE    PRESS. 

It  Is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  the  Golden  Grains  here  presented  to  the  reader,  are 
such  as  will  be  productive  of  a  far  greater  amount  of  human  happiness  than  those  in 
search  of  which  so  many  are  willing  to  risk  domestic  peace,  health,  and  even  life  itself 
in  a  distant  and  inhospitable  region. 

These  narratives,  like  all  of  those  which  proceed  from  the  same  able  pen,  are  re 
markable  not  only  for  their  entertaining  and  lively  pictures  of  actual  life,  but  for  their 
admirable  moral  tendency. 

It  is  printed  in  excellent  style,  and  embellished  with  a  mezzotint  engi'aving.  We 
cordially  recommend  it  to  the  favor  of  our  readers. — Godey'a  Lady's  Magazine. 


rs      0uu 

fThe  following  four  volumes  contain  nearly  500  pages,  Illustrated 
with  fine  Mezzotint  Engravings.  Bound  in  the  best  manner,  and 
sold  separately  or  in  sets.  They  have  been  introduced  into  the 
District,  Sabbath-school,  and  other  Libraries,  and  are  considered 
one  of  the  best  series  of  the  author.] 

THREE    ERAS    IN    A    WOMAN'S    LIFE. 

Containing    MAIDEN,  WIFE,  and    MOTHER. 

Cloth,  12mo.,  with  Mezzotint  Engraving, Price  $1.00. 

"This,  by  many,  is  considered  Mr.  Arthur's  best  work." 

TALES    OF    MARRIED    LIFE. 

Containing  LOVERS  and   HUSBANDS,  SWEE  THE  ARTS   and 
•WIVES,  and  MARRIED   and   SINGLE. 

Cloth,  12mo.,  with  Mezzotint  Engraving, Price  $1.00. 

"In  this  volume  may  be  found  some  valuable  hints  for  wives  and  husbands,  as  wel 
as  the  young." 

TALES    OF    DOMESTIC    LIFE. 

Containing    MADELINE,     THE     HEIRESS,     THE     MARTYR 
WIFE,  and  RUINED    GAMESTER. 

Cloth,  12mo.,  with  Mezzotint  Engraving, Priee  $1.00. 

"Contains  several  sketches  of  thrilling  interest." 

TALES    OF    REAL    LIFE. 

Containing  BELL  MARTIN,  PRIDE    and  PRINCIPLE,  MARY 
ELLIS,  FAMILY  PRIDE,  and  ALICE  MELVILLE. 

Cloth,  12mo.,  with  Mezzotint  Engraving, Price  $1.06. 

*•  i'kis  volume  gives  the  experiences  of  real  life  by  many  who  found  not  their  ideal. 


LIST   OF   VALUABLE   AND   POPtrLAB   BOOKS.  13 

T     S.    ARTHUR'S    WO  RKS—  Continued. 


A    BOOK    OF    STARTLING    INTEREST. 


Til  AND  Til  D1MON. 

A  handsome  12mo.  volume.     Price  $1.00 


In  this  exciting  story  Mr.  ARTHUR  has  taken  hold  of  the  reader's 
attention  with  a  more  than  usually  vigorous  grasp,  and  keeps  him 
absorbed  to  the  end  of  the  volume.  The  book  is  one  of  START 
LINO  INTEREST.  Its  lessons  should  be 

IN  THE  HEART  OF  EVERY  MOTHER. 

Onward,  with  a  power  of  demonstration  that  makes  conviction  a 
necessity,  the  Author  sweeps  through  his  subject,  fascinating  at 
every  step.  In  the  union  of 

THRILLING  DRAMATIC  INCIDENT, 

4 

with  moral  lessons  of  the  highest  importance,  this  volume  stands 

forth,  pre-eminent  among  the  author's  many  fine  productions. 

NOTICES    OF    THE    PBESS. 

A  story  of  much  power,  imbued  with  that  excellent  moral  and  religious  spirit  which 
pervades  all  his  writings.— N.  Y.  Chronicle. 

This  volume  is  among  his  best  productions,  and  worthy  of  a  place  on  every  centre- 
table. — Clarion,  Pa.,  Banner. 

This  is  a  most  fascinating  book,  one  which  the  reader  will  find  it  quite  hard  to  lay 
aside  without  reading  to  the  last  page.—  Albany,  2f.  ¥.,  Journal  and  Courier. 


THE    GOOD    TIME    COMING. 

Large  12mo.,  with  fine  Mezzotint  Frontispiece, Price  $1.00 

It  is  like  every  thing  emanating  from  that  source— worth  reading.— Toledo  Blade. 
It  is  characterized  b4  "\11  the  rTceUencia*  of  his  style. "— PA#a.  Bulletin. 
It  is  a  book  the  most  jcrupulous  parent  m*y  fin*  ia  *•  hand  of  his  child.— Pro*  «. 
(tr.n<:e  Transcript. 


LIST  OF  VALUABLE  AND  POPULAR  BOOKS. 


T.    S.    ARTHUR'S    WORKS—  Continued. 


The  Old  Man's  Bride, Price  $1.00 

Heart  Histories  and  Life  Pictures,    -       "      1.00 

Sparing  to  Spend;  or,  The  Loftons  and 
Pinkertons, 100 

Home  Scenes, "      1.00 


OP 


Two  vols.  in  one.    By  Gen.  S.  P.  LYMAN.    Price  $1.00. 


EXTRACT  FROM  PREFACE. 

The  Personal  Memorials,  which  compose  so  large  a  portion  of 
these  volumes,  are  from  the  pen  of  Gen.  S.  P.  Lyman,  whose  inti 
mate  and  confidential  relations  with  Mr.  Webster  afford  a  sufficient 
guarantee  for  their  authenticity.  They  are  believed  by  the  publisher 
to  embrace  a  more  copious  collection  of  original  and  interesting 
memoranda,  concerning  the  life  and  character  of  the  great  States 
man  whose  recent  death  has  created  so  deep  a  sense  of  bereavement 
throughout  the  country,  than  has  hitherto  been  given  to  the  world. 


coon  mm  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 

Two  volumes  in  one, Price  $1.00. 


LIST  OF  VALUABLE  AND  POPULAR  BOOKS.       15 

THE   MASTER-SPIRIT  OF  THE  AOE. 

THE  PUBLIC  AND  PRIVATE  HISTORY 

OP 

NAPOLEON    THE   THIRD, 


WITH 


Biographical  Notices  of  his  most  Distinguished 
Ministers,  Generals  and  Favorites. 

BY  SAMUEL   M.   SMUCKER,  A,M. 

Author  of  "Court  and  Reign  of  Catharine  II.,"  "Nicholas  I.,  Emperor  of  Russia," 
"  Life  of  Alexander  Hamilton, "  etc.,  etc. 


This  interesting  and  valuable  work  is  embellished  wi+.h  splendid 
Steel  Plates,  done  by  Mr.  Sartain  in  his  best  style,  including 

THE  EMPEROR,  THE  EMPRESS,   QUEEN   HORTENSE, 
AND  THE  COUNTESS  CASTIGLIONE. 

The  work  contains  over  400  pages  of  closely -printed  matter,  and 
has  been  prepared  with  much  care  from  authentic  sources,  and  fur 
nishes  a  large  amount  of  information  in  reference  to  the  Empero* 
of  the  French, 

HIS  COURT,  AND  FRANCE  UNDER  THE  SECOND  EMPIRE, 

which  is  entirely  new  to  American  readers.  This  work  is  the  only  one, 
either  in  English  or  French,  which  boldly  and  accurately  describes 

THE    REAL    CHARACTER,    THE  PRIVATE    MORALS,    TIIK 
PUBLIC    POLICY,    OF    NAPOLEON    THE    THIRD. 

Copies  sent  by  mail  on  receipt  of  the  price,  $1.25. 


NOTICES    OF    THE    PRESS. 

This  is  a  very  valuable  contribution  to  the  literature  of  the  present  time.  An  extra 
ordinary  amount  of  information  is  given  in  the  present  volume.  Like  all  the  other 
works  of  the  graceful  and  fluent  author,  it  must  command  a  very  large  popularity. — 
Philadelphia  Mercury. 

It  is  the  most  complete  biography  of  the  French  Emperor  yet  published,  and  brings 
•vents  down  to  the  present  time.— Baltimore  Republican. 

This  book  is  well  written,  printed  on  good  paper,  is  neatly  bound,  good  stye,  and  sold 
cheap.—  Valley  Spirit,  Chambersburg. 

This  work  does  full  and  ample  justice  to  the  subject.  It  is  a  production  of  superior 
ability.  Mr.  Smucker  is  an  accnmplished  writer.  He  is  learned  and  accurate  in  hi« 
researches,  and  his  style  is  polished  and  scholarlike,  so  that  he  produces  work*  of  i*«« 
ling  value  and  permanent  interest.— Philadelphia  Dispatch. 


LIST  OF  VALUABLE  AND  POPULAR  BOOKS.       17 


AMONG 


BY  JOHN    FKOST,    LL.D. 

COMPRISING  THE   MOST   REMARKABLE 

Personal  Narratives  of  Events  in  the 
Early  Indian  Wars, 

AS  WELL  AS  OP 

INCIDENTS  IN  THE  RECENT  INDIAN  HOSTILITIES  IN 
MEXICO  AND  TEXAS.      . 

Illustrated  with  over  300  Engravings,  from  designs  by  W.  Croome, 
and  other  distinguished  artists.  It  contains  over  500  pages 
12mo.  Bound  in  cloth,  gilt  back.  Price,  $1.25. 


IP  .A.  IlXr  O   DEI  A.  UUC 

OP 

THE  OLD  WORLD  AND  THE  NEW. 

COMPRISING 

A  View  of  the  Present  State  of  the  Nations  of  the  World. 

their  Names,  Customs,  and  Peculiarities,  and  their  Political, 

Moral,  Social,  and  Industrial  Condition. 

Interspersed  with  Historical  Sketches  and  Anecdotes,  by  WILLIAM 
PINNOCK,  author  of  the  Histories  of  England,  Greece,  and  Rome. 
Enlarged,  revised,  and  embellished  with  several  hundred  En 
gravings,  including  twenty-four  finely-colored  Plates,  from  designs 
of  Croome,  Devereux,  and  other  distinguished  artists.  It  con 
tains  over  600  pages,  bound  in  embossed  morocco,  gilt  back. 
Price  $2.75 


\ 


